Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest living person, has passed away at the age of 117.
Her family announced her death on social media, revealing that she died peacefully in her sleep.
“Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” her family wrote. “We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness.”
In a poignant post on Tuesday, Branyas had hinted at her impending passing, saying, “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.”
Born in the United States, Branyas lived through two world wars and spent her final years in a nursing home in northeastern Spain. Guinness World Records recognized her as the world’s oldest person in January 2023.
Following Branyas’s passing, Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, aged 116, has become the world’s oldest living person, according to the US Gerontology Research Group.
