Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest living person, has passed away at the age of 117 in Spain. Born in the United States and a survivor of two world wars, Branyas spent the last two decades of her life at the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in Olot, northeastern Spain.
Her family announced her passing on Tuesday via her account on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating, “Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain.” They added, “We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness.”
Just a day before her death, Branyas had shared that she was feeling “weak” and hinted at her impending departure. “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,” she wrote in a poignant message.
In January 2023, Branyas was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest person following the death of French nun Lucile Randon at 118.
With Branyas’s passing, the title of the world’s oldest living person now belongs to Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who is 116 years old, according to the US Gerontology Research Group.
