The oldest person in the world, French nun Lucile Randon, has died at the age of 118.
Randon, who took the name of Sister Andre when she became a nun in 1944, died in her sleep on Tuesday at the nursing home where she lived.
According to the World Supercentenarian Rankings List published by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG), Randon, who was born on February 11th, 1904, is the oldest living person.
Long known as the oldest person in Europe, she surpassed Kane Tanaka of Japan, who passed away at the age of 119 last year, to claim the title of oldest person in the world. In April 2022, Guinness World Records gave her status its seal of approval.
She died in her sleep at her nursing home in Toulon, spokesman David Tavella said.
“There is great sadness but… it was her desire to join her beloved brother. For her, it’s a liberation,” Mr Tavella, of the Sainte-Catherine-Laboure nursing home, said.
“People say that work kills, for me work kept me alive, I kept working until I was 108,” the Catholic nun had previously said.
Sister Andre, who was born Lucile Randon in 1904 in Ales, southern France, lived a life punctuated by prayer, meals, visits from other patients and hospice staff, and a steady stream of letters, nearly all of which she answered.
She even managed to survive a Covid-19 infection in 2021, emerging as a global inspiration for people.
The record for the oldest confirmed age attained by a human being thus far belongs to Jeanne Calment, a 122-year-old Frenchwoman who passed away in 1997 in Arles.