Full Name: Michael Fred Phelps II; Profession: American former competitive swimmer, multiple-time world-record holder and the most decorated Olympian in history with a total of 28 Olympic medals across four Games, including a record 23 gold medals, 13 individual Olympic golds, and 16 individual Olympic medals, as well as 82 medals (65 gold, 14 silver, 3 bronze) at major international long-course competitions such as the Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships, which established him as a global icon of aquatic sport and high-performance athletics; Nationality: American; Born: June 30, 1985; Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States, where he grew up and began swimming at an early age, joining the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and developing the technique, discipline, and competitive drive that later defined his career; Generation: Millennial (Generation Y), part of the cohort commonly defined as people born between 1981 and 1996 or 1965 and 1980/84 in various demographic frameworks, with his 1985 birth year placing him firmly within the Millennial generation in most contemporary social research taxonomies; Chinese Zodiac: Ox, specifically the Wood Ox, since people born between February 20, 1985, and February 8, 1986, in the Gregorian calendar belong to the Wood Ox year, characterized by traits such as hard work, honesty, reliability, restlessness, decisiveness, straightforwardness, and a strong capacity to defend the weak and helpless, all of which resonate symbolically with his relentless training ethic, competitive consistency, and later advocacy roles; Zodiac Sign: Cancer, the fourth sign of the tropical zodiac, as the Sun transits Cancer approximately from June 22 to July 23, and his June 30 birth date is widely listed as Cancer in popular astrology and birthday references, often associated with sensitivity, loyalty, protectiveness, and deep emotional currents beneath a composed exterior. Age in 2026: 41 years old, turning 41 on June 30, 2026, based on his documented birth date of June 30, 1985; Marital Status: Married to Nicole Johnson (Miss California USA 2010), with multiple reports noting that they have been married since 2016 and have built a family life focused on their children and shared philanthropic projects, particularly around water safety and mental health awareness; Children: Four sons with Nicole Johnson—Booster “Boomer” Phelps, Beckett, Maverick Nicolas Phelps, and Nico Phelps—frequently mentioned in media coverage and family announcements as part of a close-knit household that balances his retired athletic status with parenting, advocacy, and public appearances, including birth announcements for Maverick in 2019 and Nico as the fourth child in 2024. Description: Michael Phelps is widely regarded as the greatest swimmer of all time and arguably the greatest Olympian in modern history, having transformed the global perception of competitive swimming through unprecedented dominance, versatility across strokes and distances, and longevity at the pinnacle of the sport, particularly highlighted by his eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where he surpassed Mark Spitz’s record of seven golds and captured the world’s imagination with a combination of physical excellence, tactical intelligence, and psychological resilience under extraordinary pressure; over the course of his Olympic career (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio de Janeiro 2016), he set or reset numerous world records, became a central figure in televised Olympic narratives, and inspired a generation of swimmers and sports enthusiasts, while also providing a case study in the intersection of talent, specialized coaching, and sports science in shaping elite performance; following his record-breaking performance in 2008, Phelps founded the Michael Phelps Foundation in 2008 to expand access to water safety, healthy living, and wellness education for children and young people worldwide, with programs such as the IM Program delivering integrated curricula on swimming skills, water safety, mental wellness, and confidence-building, often in partnership with organizations like Pool Safely and Step Into Swim to reach underserved communities and reduce drowning risk through instruction and public awareness; in later years, particularly after retiring from elite competition following the Rio 2016 Olympics, he became an outspoken advocate for mental health, candidly discussing his experiences with depression and anxiety in interviews, documentaries, and public talks and receiving awards for mental health advocacy, emphasizing the importance of seeking help, destigmatizing psychological struggles among athletes and the general public, and integrating mental wellness into the broader conversation around sports performance and life after retirement; his post-competition life has thus been defined not only by sponsorships and media work but also by sustained engagement with issues of water safety, youth development, mental health, and family, making him a figure whose legacy extends far beyond medal counts into social impact, education, and cultural discourse about what it means to be an elite athlete who publicly navigates vulnerability, transition, and purpose. Cause of Death: Not applicable—Michael Phelps is alive as of 2026, continuing to be active in philanthropy, advocacy, and public speaking while residing with his family and periodically appearing in media to discuss swimming, mental health, and water safety.