InkedMag
  • Articles
    • Top Stories
    • Culture
    • Art
    • Music
    • Digital Cover
    • Events
  • Shop
    • Subscriptions
    • InkedShop
  • Tattoo Shops
  • INKED COVER GIRL
  • Company
    • About
    • Contact
    • SUBSCRIPTION
    • Newsletter
    • Media Kit
  • Policies
    • DMCA
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
InkedMag
  • Top Stories
  • Culture
  • Art
  • Music
  • Events
  • Store
  • Digital Cover
  • INKED COVER GIRL
  • Tattoo Shops

Newsletter

Inked newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Next Steps: Sync an Email Add-On

InkedMag

Inked Mag Staff

May 14th, 2015

Share Now
0
0
0

The World’s Most Tattooed Senior Passes Away

Photo Gallery Follows The Text Isobel Varley may have not gotten her first tattoo until she was in her 40s but she more than made up for that time lost…

Photo Gallery Follows The Text

Isobel Varley may have not gotten her first tattoo until she was in her 40s but she more than made up for that time lost with voracity and enthusiasm. Varley, who was in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most tattooed senior, passed away at the age of 78 this week.

Varley never intended on becoming the world’s most tattooed anything when she went to her first tattoo convention in 1986 to get a small bird tattoo. But after getting nearly 200 tattoos in the next 1o years Varley showed that she had quickly become an enormous fan of tattooing and body art.

“This came about as I was so impressed by the sheer beauty of the tattoos and I found that the people there were ordinary people from all walks of life and were not strange,” Varley told the BBC in 2008.

And while Varley clearly embraced tattooing she did share some words of wisdom for others thinking about getting inked for their first time.

“If you’re going to have one done, you’ve got to think about it carefully because it’s going to last a very long time so you’ve got to be sure it’s what you want,” Varley said.

On her heavily inked body Varley had both beautiful tattoos and funny tattoos. Some had aged well while others looked a little haggard. Looking at her skin allowed one to almost experience an era of tattoo history all at once. One of Varley’s most talked about, and frankly hilarious, tattoos was a butterfly on her skull. A butterfly made out of penises. If that doesn’t demonstrate that Varley had a great sense of humor nothing will.

Varley passed after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease this week. In the almost 30 years since she got her first ink she was a staple on the tattoo convention scene and beloved by the tattooers who contributed to covering roughly 93% of her body with art.

Editor's Picks

Show your Ink Fashions Fashion
Show Your Ink Fashions Brings Custom Style to Tattoo Culture

Show Your Ink Fashions creates custom shirts designed to showcase your tattoos as wearable art, blending fashion with personal expression.

Culture
The Ultimate “Superman” Tattoo Roundup: Just in Time for Superman’s Return to Screens

With Superman’s big return to theaters, fans are revisiting some of the most iconic ink inspired by the Man of Steel.

Legends Never Die INKED Recommends
Juice WRLD’s Legends Never Die Gets a Powerful 5-Year Anniversary Reissue

The Anniversary edition of Juice WRLD’s Iconic album just dropped!

More From Celebrities

Teddy Swims: Dripping with Artistry
July 17, 2025
Ozzy Osbourne’s Final Black Sabbath Show Raises $190 Million for Charity
July 10, 2025
Black Music Month 2025: Celebrating Tattooed Icons, Inked Culture, and Timeless Soundtracks
June 19, 2025
Lil Wayne Drops Long-Awaited Album “Tha Carter VI”
June 6, 2025
Miley Cyrus Adds to Her Ink Collection
June 2, 2025

Recommended For You

Legends Never Die INKED Recommends
Juice WRLD’s Legends Never Die Gets a Powerful 5-Year Anniversary Reissue
INKED Recommends
Justin Bieber Surprises Fans with Newest Album, “Swag”
Burna Boy No Sign of Weakness INKED Recommends
Burna Boy’s Newest Album, “No Sign of Weakness,” Dropped Today
Cervena Fox Culture
Inked Girl of the Month: Cervena Fox Is Lighting Up the Stage and the Tattoo World
earthlite-tattoo
InkedMag

QUICK LINKS

  • Top Stories
  • Culture
  • Art
  • Music
  • Events
  • Store
  • Tattoo Shops
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • SUBSCRIPTION
  • INKED COVER GIRL
  • MEDIA KIT
  • DMCA
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS & CONDITIONS

Input your search keywords and press Enter.