Maria Branyas, who was the world's oldest living person, has died in a Spanish nursing home aged 117. She lived through two world wars and many events of historical importance.
A spokeswoman for the nursing home and its official social media account said Tuesday that Branyas had passed away in his sleep. Guinness World Records declared him the oldest person alive in January 2023.
"Maria Branyas has left us. She died the way she wanted: asleep, calm and without pain.", announced her account on social networks, managed by her daughter. Her bio on X, formerly known as Twitter, reads “I'm old, very old, but I'm not an idiot."
Branyas had assumed she was at the end of her life earlier this week, stating in a social media post that “I feel weak. The time is coming. Don't cry, I don't like tears... Know me, wherever I go, I'll be happy.”
El passat mes d'agost em vaig acomiadar de la Fada, pensant que ja no la veuria més. Ella havia de ser mare i jo pensaca que no viuria tants mesos. Però aquí estem una altra estona juntes. És comfortant acariciar el seu pèl amb els meus dits torts i gastats. Ella, com tots 👇 pic.twitter.com/L5OafzuXGm
— Super Àvia Catalana (@MariaBranyas112) March 31, 2024
Born in San Francisco, California, on March 4, 1907, Branyas moved with her family to the Spanish region of Catalonia when she was seven years old.
She spent the rest of her life there, experiencing the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the country's bloody civil war from 1936-1939, both world wars, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
When she turned 117, Guinness identified Branyas as the 12th oldest verified person in recorded history. The oldest was a French woman named Jeanne Calment, who lived 122 years and 164 days.