Frane Selak, also known as Frano Selak, was a Croatian music teacher who became internationally famous for his extraordinary stories of surviving a series of near fatal accidents. Born in 1929 in Dubrovnik, then part of Yugoslavia, Selak later became known as the “world’s luckiest man” after reportedly escaping several potentially deadly disasters involving trains, planes, buses and cars. His story became widely circulated internationally, although important details of some of his accounts remain unverified.
Selak’s unusual story gained even greater attention after he reportedly won millions of Croatian kuna in a national lottery in the early 2000s. The combination of his alleged survival experiences and unexpected lottery win turned him into a global media curiosity. He became the subject of newspaper articles, television coverage, internet stories and even a commercial, with his life often presented as an extraordinary mixture of misfortune and luck.
Despite the dramatic nature of his story, Selak lived much of his professional life away from international attention. He worked as a music teacher and was involved in music during his years in the former Yugoslavia. Later in life, he became known less for his profession and more for the remarkable survival stories he personally recounted, his lottery fortune and his decision to give away much of his winnings.
Frane Selak’s Early Life
Frane Selak was born in 1929 in Dubrovnik, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Sources differ on his exact birth date, with June 3 and June 14 both appearing in published accounts, although June 14, 1929, is commonly listed. Accounts of his childhood describe him as having experienced health difficulties early in life, including serious intestinal problems as an infant and an episode involving his eyesight when he was a child.
Selak grew up in a period of significant political and social change in the Balkans. His early years took place before the establishment of socialist Yugoslavia, and he later lived and worked across different parts of the country. Music became an important part of his life, eventually leading him toward a career as a teacher and musician.
According to accounts attributed to Selak, his childhood also shaped his spiritual outlook. He reportedly credited his mother’s prayers and the assistance of a nun with helping him recover from an eyesight problem when he was young. These stories later became part of the larger narrative surrounding his belief that extraordinary circumstances had repeatedly protected him throughout his life.
Frane Selak’s Education
Information about Frane Selak’s formal education is limited compared with the extensive material available about his alleged accidents and lottery win. Published accounts consistently identify him as a music teacher, indicating that he received musical training before beginning his professional career.
Selak developed skills in music, including piano and composition, and later worked in education. Some biographical accounts describe him as studying to become a conductor and eventually working with school choirs. His musical abilities provided the foundation for the career that occupied much of his adult life.
His education ultimately led him toward teaching rather than celebrity. Before his extraordinary survival stories became internationally known, Selak was primarily regarded as a music educator who moved between different communities in the former Yugoslavia. His professional identity as a teacher remained an important part of his life even after his lottery win brought him international attention.
Frane Selak’s Career
Frane Selak spent much of his professional life working as a music teacher in the former Yugoslavia. He reportedly taught music in places including Modriča and Daruvar and was involved with school choirs and musical activities. His career was relatively ordinary compared with the extraordinary circumstances that later made him internationally famous.
Selak was also involved in performing and composing music. He reportedly led a jazz band called Mellody and was associated with musical groups during his years in the former Yugoslavia. He also claimed to have composed “Stan’ Neretvo,” a song associated with the 1969 partisan film Battle of Neretva, although published credits have not consistently supported his claim.
His public profile changed dramatically because of the series of accidents he said he survived. These included a train accident in 1962, an alleged plane disaster in 1963, a bus accident in 1966, two separate car fires, a 1995 incident in which he was struck by a bus and a 1996 road accident involving a United Nations truck. The stories became the central feature of his public identity, although some details, particularly the alleged 1963 plane crash, have not been independently verified.
Selak’s international fame expanded after he reportedly won a major lottery prize in the early 2000s. Reports differ over the precise year and amount, but accounts commonly place the winnings at several million Croatian kuna. His lottery success added another extraordinary chapter to a life already surrounded by stories of survival and helped establish the nickname “world’s luckiest man.”
His unusual story eventually attracted commercial opportunities outside his teaching career. In 2004, he appeared in a Doritos advertisement connected to a promotional lottery campaign. The commercial was filmed near his home in Croatia because he reportedly did not want to travel to Australia, particularly because of his fear of flying and travelling by sea. By then, Selak had become an international media personality despite never having pursued conventional celebrity.
Frane Selak’s Story of Surviving Seven Near Fatal Accidents Continues to Attract Global Attention
Frane Selak continues to attract renewed attention because his extraordinary survival story has repeatedly resurfaced in international media and online discussions. In 2026, publications revisited his life as a Croatian man who reportedly survived multiple potentially fatal accidents before winning the lottery, keeping his story alive for a new generation of readers.
The central attraction remains the combination of his alleged seven brushes with death and his later lottery win. His reported experiences include surviving a train crash, being thrown from a plane, escaping a bus accident, surviving two car fires, being hit by a bus and escaping a major road accident. However, published investigations and reference works have noted that not all of these incidents can be independently confirmed.
The uncertainty surrounding some details has become part of the continuing discussion about Selak. His story exists somewhere between documented biography and popular folklore, with some incidents supported by contemporary or later accounts while others lack matching official records. Despite those questions, his name continues to appear in articles about unusual survival stories, lottery winners and extraordinary real life events.
Frane Selak’s Death
Frane Selak died in Croatia in 2016 at the age of 87. Reports about his death emerged after his wife confirmed that he had died, while Croatian media had previously referred to him as having died the year before. Sources commonly list November 30, 2016, as his date of death, although the available reporting around the timing is not entirely consistent.
The exact cause of Frane Selak’s death has not been clearly established in widely available biographical accounts. His death occurred decades after the accidents that had made him famous and after he had already lived through a heart attack in 2014. He had spent his later years living a relatively modest life after giving away much of his lottery fortune.
Selak’s death brought an end to a life that had become an international legend. While his survival stories had often been described as unbelievable, his death at 87 also reinforced the contrast that defined his public image: a man who reportedly escaped death repeatedly but eventually died from circumstances unrelated to the dramatic accidents that made him famous.
Frane Selak’s Personal Life
Frane Selak was married several times during his life. Published accounts differ on the exact number, with reports commonly stating that he had been married five times and some accounts suggesting a sixth marriage. He had at least one son from an earlier relationship. His personal relationships received far less international attention than his survival stories and lottery win.
After winning the lottery, Selak used some of his money to improve his living circumstances and purchase property. He reportedly bought a house, a boat and apartments, while also using money to help relatives and friends. He later reconsidered his lifestyle and decided that he preferred a simpler existence rather than continuing to live as a wealthy lottery winner.
Selak became particularly known for his generosity toward people around him. By 2010, he had reportedly given away much of his remaining fortune to relatives, friends, musical groups and schools. He eventually returned to living mainly on his pension, describing a preference for a more modest lifestyle rather than maintaining the expensive possessions he had acquired after winning the lottery.
Frane Selak’s Age, Religion, Nationality, Height and Physical Appearance
Frane Selak was 87 years old when he died in 2016. He was born in 1929 in Dubrovnik, which was then part of Yugoslavia, and spent much of his later life in Croatia. He was Croatian by nationality and became internationally identified with his home country because of his unusual survival stories.
Selak’s religious beliefs were not extensively documented in mainstream biographical accounts. However, his own stories included references to Christian faith, prayer and the Virgin Mary. After his lottery win, he reportedly built a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary and attributed some of his survival to divine protection. These details suggest that Christian belief played a role in his personal worldview, although a precise formal religious affiliation is not consistently documented.
Reliable information about Frane Selak’s height is not widely available. Photographs of him in later life show an older Croatian man with a distinctive appearance, usually seen with short grey hair and a moustache. His physical appearance became recognizable through photographs published alongside stories about his remarkable survival experiences and lottery win.
Frane Selak’s Net Worth
Frane Selak’s financial history became famous because of his reported lottery win rather than because of a conventional entertainment or business career. He reportedly won several million Croatian kuna in the early 2000s, with different published accounts giving different figures. The winnings were commonly described as being worth roughly hundreds of thousands of euros at the time.
There is no reliable public record establishing a precise lifetime net worth for Frane Selak. After his lottery win, he reportedly spent part of the money on property, a boat and other personal needs, while also giving significant amounts to relatives, friends and community causes.
By the later years of his life, Selak had reportedly given away most of the money from his lottery win and was living mainly on a pension. As a result, assigning a large net worth to him at the time of his death would be misleading. His financial legacy is more closely associated with the lottery fortune he received and subsequently distributed than with accumulated wealth.
Frane Selak’s Legacy
Frane Selak’s legacy is built primarily around one of the most unusual survival stories to emerge from the former Yugoslavia. His accounts of surviving disasters involving trains, planes, buses and cars made him a global curiosity and earned him the nickname “world’s luckiest man.” His later lottery win added another unexpected element to the story.
At the same time, Selak’s legacy includes an important distinction between reported events and independently verified facts. Several accounts of his accidents were based on his own recollections, while some details could not be matched with official records. The alleged 1963 plane crash is particularly disputed because researchers have found no corresponding crash record that matches his description.
Despite these uncertainties, Selak’s name has remained part of popular culture. His story has appeared in international newspapers, documentaries, advertisements, online videos and articles about extraordinary survival. For many people, Frane Selak remains a memorable example of how a personal story can develop into an enduring modern legend.
Conclusion
Frane Selak’s life combined an ordinary career as a Croatian music teacher with an extraordinary story of alleged survival, a major lottery win and later generosity. Although important parts of his story remain unverified, his accounts of escaping repeated disasters made him internationally famous and gave him a lasting place in popular culture. He died in 2016 at the age of 87, but his unusual story continues to be revisited by audiences fascinated by survival, coincidence, luck and the boundary between documented history and modern folklore.
Frequently Asked Questions About Frane Selak
Who was Frane Selak?
Frane Selak was a Croatian music teacher who became internationally famous for his reported survival of several near fatal accidents and his later lottery win.
When was Frane Selak born?
Frane Selak was born in 1929 in Dubrovnik, then part of Yugoslavia. Published sources differ on whether his exact birth date was June 3 or June 14.
When did Frane Selak die?
Frane Selak died in Croatia in 2016 at the age of 87. November 30, 2016, is commonly listed as his date of death.
What was Frane Selak famous for?
Frane Selak was famous for his reported survival of several serious accidents involving trains, planes, buses and cars, as well as winning a major lottery prize.
How many times did Frane Selak reportedly cheat death?
Frane Selak reportedly survived seven near fatal incidents. However, some details of the stories have not been independently verified.
Did Frane Selak really survive a plane crash?
Frane Selak claimed that he was thrown from a plane in 1963 and survived by landing in a haystack. However, researchers have found no official record of a plane crash in Croatia in 1963 that matches his account, so this part of his story remains disputed.
Did Frane Selak win the lottery?
Yes. Frane Selak reportedly won several million Croatian kuna in a lottery in the early 2000s. Published accounts differ over the exact amount and year of the win.
How much money did Frane Selak win?
Reports vary, but his lottery winnings were generally described as several million Croatian kuna, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of euros at the time.
Did Frane Selak give away his lottery money?
Yes. Frane Selak reportedly gave away much of his remaining lottery fortune to relatives, friends, musical groups and schools and later lived a relatively modest lifestyle.
What was Frane Selak’s occupation?
Frane Selak was a music teacher. He was also involved in music, including conducting, composition and musical groups.
What was Frane Selak’s nationality?
Frane Selak was Croatian. He was born in Dubrovnik when the city was part of Yugoslavia and later lived in Croatia.
How old was Frane Selak when he died?
Frane Selak was 87 years old when he died in 2016.
What was Frane Selak’s cause of death?
A definitive cause of death is not clearly documented in widely available biographical accounts.
Did Frane Selak have children?
Yes. Published biographical accounts state that Frane Selak had a son from an earlier marriage.
What is Frane Selak’s legacy?
Frane Selak is remembered for his extraordinary survival stories, his reported lottery win and the continuing debate over which parts of his unusual biography can be independently verified.