World’s Oldest Person, Maria Branyas, Dies at 117

Centenarian Passes Away at 117 Years Old

MADRID — Maria Branyas, an Amer­i­can-born Spaniard con­sid­ered the world’s old­est per­son at 117 years old, has died, her fam­i­ly said on Tuesday.

Branyas Held Record as Oldest Known Person

The Geron­tol­ogy Research Group, which val­i­dates details of peo­ple thought to be 110 or old­er, list­ed Branyas as the old­est known per­son in the world after the death of French nun Lucile Ran­don last year. The next old­est per­son list­ed is Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who is 116 years old.

Branyas’ Remarkable Life Span

Branyas was born in San Fran­cis­co on March 4, 1907. After liv­ing for some years in New Orleans, where her father found­ed a mag­a­zine, her fam­i­ly returned to Spain when she was young. Branyas said that she had mem­o­ries of cross­ing the Atlantic Ocean dur­ing World War I.

Branyas’ COVID-19 Recovery and Final Days

At age 113, Branyas test­ed pos­i­tive for COVID-19 dur­ing the glob­al pan­dem­ic, but avoid­ed devel­op­ing severe symp­toms that claimed tens of thou­sands of old­er Spaniards. At the time of her death, she was liv­ing in a nurs­ing home in the Cata­lan town of Olot.

Family’s Tribute to a Life Well-Lived

In a post on Branyas’ X account, her fam­i­ly wrote in Cata­lan: “Maria Branyas has left us. She has gone the way she want­ed: in her sleep, at peace, and with­out pain.”

They also shared Branyas’ words from days before her death: “I don’t know when, but very soon this long jour­ney will come to an end. Death will find me worn down from hav­ing lived so much, but I want to meet it with a smile, feel­ing free and satisfied.”