Now it all makes sense.

~or~

I stopped trying to reconcile the PT with the OT or EU-pre-PT a long time ago.

*snark!*

Now there's somethingpeculiar in Shadows of the Empire. Xizor comments on the Emporer's freaky appearence, and notes "he isn't even that old." In SOTE, the Emporer would be 85 or 86. Yet other characters pass away from "natural causes" at much younger ages.

Are you using the prequels version of Palpatine to determine his age? Say what you want about SOTE, but it is 100% prequel free.