The venerable individual identified as Maria Branyas Morera, regarded as the globe's eldermost resident, departs at the age of 117.
Guinness World Records (GWR) announced her demise at the ripe age of 117 years 168 days, making her the eight oldest person with a verified age in history.
The statement revealed that Maria passed away serenely at a nursing home in Catalonia, Spain, where she'd been residing for about two decades. She breathed her last on a Monday.
Following her demise, Maria's family shared the news on her social media account on Tuesday. They wrote, "She departed as she wished: in her sleep, at peace, and without pain."
Before her death, Maria told her family, "I don't know when, but very soon this long journey will come to an end. Death will find me worn out from living so much, but I want it to find me smiling, free, and satisfied."
GWR acknowledged Maria as the world's oldest living person in January 2023, following the death of French nun Sister Andrép at 118.
Maria attributed her longevity to "order, tranquility, good family and friend connections, natural surroundings, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic individuals."
She further believed that longevity was partly due to good fortune and genetics.
Maria was born on March 4, 1907, a scant three years and nine months after the Wright Brothers' initial powered flight and just two years before construction on the ill-fated Titanic began.
Having migrated to the US from Spain with her parents, Maria returned eight years later, arriving in Barcelona during World War I. Her life encompassed the Spanish Civil War and World War II as well.
During her later years, Maria resided in a nursing home in Catalonia, where tech-savvy she was, she used X to interact with her thousand-strong fanbase, with some aid from her daughter.
Her social media bio boasted, "I'm old, but certainly not senile."
Maria was presumed to be among the oldest individuals to have recovered from Covid-19, having tested positive for the virus in May 2020.
As per the Gerontology Research Group, an independent scientific organization that verifies ages of individuals over 110, the world's oldest living person is now a 116-year-old Japanese woman named Tomiko Itooka.
The title for the oldest person ever recorded belongs to Jeanne Louise Calment. Born on February 21, 1875, she lived an incredible 122 years and 164 days, as per GWR.
CNN's John Murphy, Lianne Kolirin, and Arnaud Siad contributed to the reporting.
After GWR recognized Maria as the world's oldest living person in January 2023, she shared her residency in Europe, specifically in a nursing home in Catalonia, Spain. Despite her advanced age, Maria actively engaged with her fanbase on social media, reaching out to them using technology, demonstrating her connection with the modern world in Europe.
