Oldest person in the world dies at the age of 117: Spanish pensioner Maria Branyas Morera dies just hours after delivering her last message
The world’s oldest person has died at the age of 117 after delivering a heartbreaking final message.
Spanish pensioner Maria Branyas Morera, who experienced two world wars and two pandemics, has died “peacefully and without pain.”
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Her family announced her death on X with the words: “Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she had wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain.”
“We will always remember her for her advice and kindness.”
Maria was a big fan of social media, sharing weekly updates with her 16,000 followers on X.
In her heartbreaking final message on Tuesday, the elderly lady warned that she felt “weak” and that “the time was near.”
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The post read: “The time is near. Don’t cry, I don’t like tears. And above all, don’t suffer for me.”
“Wherever I go, I will be happy.”
Maria won the incredible title of oldest living person in the world, after French nun Lucile Randon died in January last year at the age of 118.
The pensioner owes her old age to her “order” and “calm” as well as to the consistent avoidance of “toxic people”.
Maria was born in San Francisco in 1907, as the city battled a deadly wave of bubonic plague.
She survived both world wars and remained in Spain but also had to fight with the Spanish flu Pandemic and the Spanish Civil War.
The brave Maria also survived Covid-19, although she became infected with the virus just a few weeks after her 113th birthday.
After a stay in hospital, she recovered fully within a few days and was able to return to her normal life in a nursing home.
She married a Catalan doctor named Joan Moret in 1931 and the couple had three children.
Although her husband died in 1976, Maria survived her only son August, who died in a tragic tractor accident at the age of 86.
She died together with her daughters, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in the northeast Spain.
Maria played the piano from childhood until the age of 108, when she lost the mobility of her fingers.
The time is near. Don’t cry, I don’t like tears. And above all, don’t suffer for me
Maria Branyas Morera
To stay healthy, she exercised every morning until she weighed 41 kilos.
Before her death, Maria agreed to undergo scientific tests by researchers who hoped to gain valuable insights into the secrets of a long life.
Researchers have collected saliva, blood and urine samples from Maria and will compare them with those of her 80-year-old daughter.
Scientists hope that studying Maria’s genes will help develop drugs to combat age-related diseases.
The title of the oldest living person in the world now belongs to Tomika Itooka – a Japanese woman who was born on May 23, 1908.
This comes after the world’s oldest man tragically passed away in April.
Juan Vicente Perez Mora “passed into eternity” just two months before his 115th birthday.
He leaves behind a large family consisting of 11 loving children, 41 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
Juan once said the key to his never-ending aging was a glass of Spanish alcohol, known as aguardiente, every day.
The oldest person of all time was the Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who lived to the proud age of 122 years and 164 days.
To this day, she is the only person to have lived to see her 120th birthday.
The oldest people in the world
Tomika Itooka – Born on May 23, 1908 in the city of Osaka, she is the oldest person known to be alive in Japan. She is currently 115 years old.
Inah Canabarro Lucas – Born on June 8, 1908, she is the oldest person alive in Latin America today. She became a nun in the 1920s, making her the oldest living person in that profession. She is currently 115 years old.
Elisabeth Franz – Born on July 25, 1909, he is the oldest known person in the state of Texas. Francis has three grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. He is currently 114 years old.
Ethel Caterham – Born on August 21, 1909, she is the oldest living person in the United Kingdom and has spent the last 50 years in Surrey, England. She is currently 114 years old.
Okagi Hayashi – Born on September 2, 1909, he is the fourth oldest living person in Japan. Hayashi had 8 children, 22 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren. He is currently 114 years old.
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