My apologies if this has already been covered - I'm a newbie

I've read that James and Lily were only 21 when they died. It seems odd to me that people so young would already have lost their parents. I understand that it's critical to the plot that Harry grow up with the Dursleys, and that the deprivation of his early years not only parallels Riddle's early years, but also may have made him who he was, in a way. Given how long witches and wizards can live, however, it seems as though the Potter grandparents at least must have met with an untimely end.

I'm assuming that grandparents Potter and Evans were already deceased when Harry went to the Dursleys - Petunia seems a last resort.

Anyway, just something I've wondered about off and on for most of the series. It would be great if someone could enlighten me!

Her reply was that there was nothing important to the story about their deaths.

James's parents were elderly, were getting on a little when he was born, which explains the only child, very pampered, had-him-late-in-life-so-he's-an-extra-treasure, as often happens, I think. They were old in wizarding terms, and they died

I expect it would have been a very different storyline if he had gone to Grandma and Grandpa Potter, especially. I'm sure they would have doted on him.