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Maria Branyas, an American-born Spaniard and the world's oldest person at 117, has passed away, her family announced.
In a post on her X (formerly Twitter) account, her family shared in Catalan: "Maria Branyas has left us. She has gone the way she wanted: in her sleep, at peace, and without pain."
Born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907, Branyas moved to Spain with her family while she was still young. At the time of her death, she resided in a nursing home in Olot, Catalonia.
Branyas’s X profile, titled "Super Catalan Grandma," included the description: "I am old, very old, but not an idiot." Her final post expressed her readiness to depart, saying: "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."
The Gerontology Research Group, which tracks supercentenarians, recognized Branyas as the world’s oldest person following the death of French nun Lucile Randon last year. Randon, who enjoyed a daily glass of wine, died at 118.
Currently, the next oldest verified person is 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka from Japan. Jeanne Calment of France holds the record for the longest confirmed lifespan, living to 122 years and 164 days before her death in 1997.
There are also unverified claims of individuals surpassing this age, such as Johanna from South Africa, who is said to be 128, and Francisca Susano, reportedly 124 at her death in November 2021. Susano, known as Lola Iska, was thought to have been born in the Philippines in 1897.
[Information sourced from Metro UK]
