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References in other works

• In Peter Straub's short story "A Short Guide to the City" Irish children encounter an old winged man who speaks in an unfamiliar language; Straub included this as homage to Marquez's famous story.

• The Simpsons episode "Lisa the Skeptic" shares the plot element of an angel that appears (although it is supposedly dead) and is put on display by a character for paying visitors.

• The music video of Losing My Religion by R.E.M. was inspired by this short-story. It was directed by Tarsem Singh and used some images related to the story. It deals as a subtext with the lost faith.

• The Greek song of "Kathreftis" by the Cypriot Alkinoos Ioannidis was also inspired of this story. The Greek word kathreftis means "mirror" , because the Tarantula woman says, in the chorus of the song: "Never look into other's eyes, because you'll become a mirror and they will break you into pieces"

• Susanna Hoffs and Mark Linkous wrote a song, "Enormous Wings", based on the short story; it appears on Hoffs' self-titled second solo album.

• Director Fernando Birn and Gabriel García Márquez wrote a screenplay adaptation in Spanish that is available with English subtitles, Un Señor muy viejo con unas alas enormes, 1991.

• Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita includes references to Gabriel García Márquez and allusions to "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings."