collapse of the old society

If it helps, don't think of it as dying early. Think of it as dying at a normal time. It's earlier generations of Westerners that lived abnormally long lives. They lived in the "sweet spot" when childhood diseases had been defeated by vaccines and we hadn't yet poisoned the environment with forever chemicals and microplastics, and benefited from the colonial wealth extracted from the rest of the world to give most of their white elders the best possible medical care in their last years - medical care the average person can no longer access or afford.

Simple fact: the 80-year life expectancies the last few generations enjoyed had never been seen before in human history and will never be seen again.