World’s oldest person dies in Spain at 117: ‘I’m old, very old, but not stupid’

The world’s oldest living person, Maria Branyas Morera, died in Catalonia in Spain at the age of 117 years and 168 days, her family said on Tuesday.

Born in San Francisco, US, in 1907, she lived through two World Wars, the Spanish Civil War and the 1918 flu pandemic and faced many personal hardships in her early years, including losing her father during her family’s emigration to Spain and suffering hearing loss as a child.

Her remarkable longevity was recognised by both the Gerontology Research Group and the Guinness World Records, and Branyas Morera became a symbol of resilience, having survived Covid at age 113.

“Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” her family wrote on her X account. Branyas Morera passed away on 19 August.

“We will always remember her for her advice and kindness.”

Catalonia’s president, Salvador Illa, re-shared the post and expressed his condolences to the family. ​​

”Maria Branyas, the grandmother of Catalonia and the oldest person in the world, has left us. We lose an endearing woman, who has taught us the value of life and the wisdom of the years.”

Branyas Morera, who had spent the last 20 years at the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in Olot, northeastern Spain, shared in a post on Tuesday that she was feeling “weak”. 

Her account was run by her family.

“The time is near,” she added. “Please don’t cry; I don’t like tears. And above all, don’t worry about me. Wherever I go, I will be happy.”

In January 2023, Guinness World Records recognised Branyas Morera as the world’s oldest person following the death of French nun Lucile Randon at age 118.

According to the Gerontology Research Group, Branyas Morera injured her eardrum in a fall while emigrating to Spain, resulting in permanent hearing loss in one ear.

“Towards the end of the voyage, Branyas Morera’s father, Joseph Branyas Julia, died from pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 37, leaving Branyas Morera’s mother to raise the family of five on her own,” it said.

Branyas Morera tested positive for Covid in April 2020 but recovered, becoming the oldest recorded survivor of the disease at the time.

In an interview with the Observer, she urged for better treatment of the elderly.

“This pandemic has revealed that older people are the forgotten ones of our society. They fought their whole lives, sacrificed time and their dreams for today’s quality of life. They didn’t deserve to leave the world in this way,” she said.

Branyas Morera married Dr Joan Moret in 1931 and they had two daughters and a son. He died in 1976.

In August 2019, it was reported that she had 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

On X, she described herself as “Soc vella, molt vella, però no idiota”, meaning “I’m old, very old, but not stupid”.

She frequently posted in Catalan on her social media, sharing reflections on her life, memories from the past, and even recipes for Spain’s famous dish, paella.

In February last year, American documentary maker Sam Green visited Branyas Morera while shooting for his film The Oldest Person in the World. The documentary, which began filming in 2015, features interviews with the world’s oldest individuals.

The filmmakers plan to host a “premiere” every decade, an event Branyas Morera intended to attend. “I will be at the premiere,” she wrote on X.

According to the Guinness World Records, she attributed her longevity to “order, tranquillity, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people”.

“I think longevity is also about being lucky. Luck and good genetics,” she added.

According to CBS News, her youngest daughter, Rosa Moret, once credited her mother’s longevity to “genetics”.

“She has never gone to the hospital, she has never broken any bones, she is fine, she has no pain,” Ms Moret told regional Catalan television in 2023.

Following the death of Branyas Morera, the title of the world’s oldest living person passed to Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who is 116.