The World's Oldest Woman Dies in Spain: She Was 117

Spanish resident Maria Branyas, who was considered the oldest person in the world, died on 20 August at the age of 117.

This was reported on Branyas' official account on the X network.

It is noted that the woman "died the way she wanted: in her sleep, peacefully and painlessly".

A few days ago, Branyas suggested that she would die soon, saying: "Death will find me tired from living so long, but I want it to find me in my sleep, free and content."

A spokesperson for the nursing home where Branyas lived in recent years confirmed her death to Reuters, but did not provide details.

Maria Branyas was born in San Francisco in 1907, but moved to Catalonia with her family at the age of seven. She lived there for the rest of her life, including the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39.

She outlived her husband, whom she married in 1931, by 48 years, and her son August, who died at the age of 86. She celebrated her 117th birthday in March.

In January 2024, the Guinness Book of Records confirmed that Maria Branyas became the oldest person in the world.

The woman attributed her longevity to luck, genetics, and "order, calmness, good connections with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, lack of worries, regrets, a lot of positive emotions, and the fact that she stayed away from toxic people," the Guinness Book of Records wrote.

Maria Branyas became the twelfth person to be named the world's oldest person. Jeanne Calment from France lived the longest among them - she lived to 122 years and 164 days.