There are numerous such stories, but I tend to think it’s more selection bias than anything.
Accomplished people are almost always accomplishing things, even into late life. By definition, the last thing they accomplish is their final accomplishment. Even if deaths were randomly distributed, you’d expect to find a lot of these people dying shortly after finishing their last accomplishment.
Agreed, but I also wonder whether the couple situation increases survival because they've got someone to watch their back, e.g. if one has a fall, the other is there to call for help.
Accomplished people are almost always accomplishing things, even into late life. By definition, the last thing they accomplish is their final accomplishment. Even if deaths were randomly distributed, you’d expect to find a lot of these people dying shortly after finishing their last accomplishment.