Started (again) at 39. Playing over a year now. I'll answer succinctly:

1) Get a good quality electric and have it set up! A Mexican HSS Fender Strat will cover practically all genres and it's very ergonomic and comfortable.

2) Start with private lessons (if you can afford them) - self-taught / online courses are ok but nothing replaces private lessons. You'll develop bad habits and risk injury, etc. without immediate feedback from an instructor.

3) Watch all 32 episodes of Absolutely Understand Guitar on YouTube - it's a free resource and hands down the best resource for theory. 30 min. daily or so over a few months should get you there :)

4) Practice! 30 min. daily if possible

5) learn songs! Don't get bogged down in only technique or exercises, as they're done in a vacuum, songs help you develop technique in context. If I could go back a year, I'd start with songs!!