The oldest woman recognized as the world’s oldest living person, Maria Branyas Morera, has passed away at the age of 117.
Born in the United States, Branyas lived through two world wars and had been residing in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in Olot, Spain, for the past two decades.
Her family announced her death on Tuesday through a post on her social media account on X, expressing their sorrow and admiration,“Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain. We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness.”
Branyas had recently shared a poignant message on social media, indicating her declining health.
In a post made just before her death, she wrote, “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.”
Guinness World Records officially recognized Branyas as the world’s oldest person in January 2023, following the death of French nun Lucile Randon, who passed away at 118.
With Branyas’s passing, the title of the world’s oldest living person now belongs to Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, born on May 23, 1908, who is 116 years old, according to the US Gerontology Research Group.
