Bakersfield couple married 62 years die four hours apart

A Bakersfield couple who were married 62 years died four hours apart while lying next to each other, their family said.

Don and Maxine Simpson’s granddaughter, Melissa Sloan, shared the couple’s story to KERO-TV and it quickly went viral.

Maxine Simpson had cancer and her husband had broken his hip roughly two weeks ago, and his health began declining, according to KERO-TV.

Determined not to separate the pair, the couple’s family kept them together in the same bedroom.

Photographs shared with KERO-TV show the couple holding hands while lying in beds placed next to each other.

Not long after that, Maxine Simpson took her last breath.

The couple’s granddaughter told KERO that once Maxine Simpson’s body was removed, her grandfather died.

“It’s just amazing. It really is amazing,” Sloan told the station. “It’s a true love story.”

For breaking news in Los Angeles and throughout California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA. She can be reached at veronica.rocha@latimes.com.