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Could Voldemort have died a natural death with his horcruxes intact?

Horcruxes are supposed to make someone invulnerable, but would they protect him from aging, or would it lead to a struldbrug-like immortality? I don't remember any details about how horcruxes actually protect their creator. (if the body is beheaded, would it regenerate, or would the wizard be just left to wander around as a bodiless form just like Voldemort was in the first 3 books?) - I assume the same would happen to horcrux-protected wizards dying of old age, until they acquire a new body. Are there any kind of hints to prove/disprove this view?

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vsz
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  • @DVK: it is not a duplicate. The other question asked whether the horcruxes themselves are susceptible to age, but this one asks about the creator of the horcruxes. – vsz Oct 04 '12 at 13:33

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The other example we have of immortality in Harry Potter is Nicholas Flamel, who has just continued to live and live by using the Elixir of Life, brewed with the Philosopher's Stone:

The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with
making the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary
substance with astonishing powers. The Stone
will transform any metal into pure gold. It also
produces the Elixir of Life, which will make
the drinker immortal.

There have been many reports of the Philosopher’s
Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently
in existence belongs to Mr Nicolas Flamel, the noted
alchemist and opera-lover. Mr Flamel, who
celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday
last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife,
Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).

Philsopher's Stone - page 161 - Bloomsbury - chapter 13, Nicholas Flamel

This example seems to show that with the Elixir of Life a person just continues to get older and older. I cannot find any canon information that indicates struldbrug-like immortality. I think if Horcruxes offered struldbrug-like immortality they would have been less appealing to Voldemort as a means to immortality. Voldemort was controlling and arrogant. I think he would have disdained anything other than straight up immortality. Of course were a struldbrug-like method the only way of attaining immortality, I have no doubt that Voldemort would have utilized it. It would have been better than death.

On thing the bio on Nicholas Flamel doesn't tell us is whether Nicholas's body stopped aging when he first took the Elixer of Life. It seems logical that physical aging was slowed or went into some kind of stasis that was sustained by the Elixir of Life.

Slytherincess
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    I disagree, I think the Horcruxes must offer Struldbrug-like immortality (if any) or others would have used them to become immortal. Voldemort wasn't the only one afraid of death (e.g. ghosts). They didn't protect Voldemort's body from death by magic and I don't think they'd prevent death by old age either, just allow the user to live in a spirit state afterwards. The question is, if they used a spell to restore their body (as Voldemort did), what age would that body be? – Kevin Sep 02 '12 at 16:37
  • @Kevin -- they may well use struldbrug-like immortality, we don't really know. I mean, you make a perfectly good point. I answered based solely based on the only example of immortality in the HP series besides the Horcruxes. When I said I can't find any examples of struldbrug immortality, it's because I can't find any examples. The age of the body? Well, that's what I asked in my answer. I don't know. :) – Slytherincess Sep 02 '12 at 18:23
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    Horcruxes were not a widely known and well studied effect, so it might well be that Voldemort did not know everything about their exact functionality. – vsz Sep 02 '12 at 19:26