CNN —
The world’s oldest person, US-born Maria Branyas Morera, has died at the age of 117, her family announced on social media.
Guinness World Records (GWR) also released a statement confirming her death at the age of 117 years 168 days, making her the eighth-oldest person with a verifiable age in history.
“Maria passed away peacefully at the nursing home in Catalonia, Spain, where she resided for the past two decades,” read the GWR statement, which added that she died on Monday.
On Tuesday, Morera’s family published a post on her X account announcing her death.
“She has gone the way she wanted: in her sleep, at peace, and without pain,” reads the post.
Her family added that Morera told them shortly 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 it to find me smiling, free, and satisfied.”
Morera was named the world’s oldest living person by GWR in January 2023 after the death of French nun Sister André at the age of 118.
She told GWR that she had lived such a long life thanks to “order, tranquility, 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.
