Maria Branyas, world's oldest person, dies peacefully at 117 in Spain

Maria Branyas, recognized as the world's oldest person, has died at the age of 117 in a nursing home in Spain. The news of her peaceful passing was confirmed on Tuesday by her official X account and a spokesperson from the home. “Maria Branyas has left us. She has died as she wanted: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” read the statement on her X account, which is managed by her daughter.

Branyas, who had celebrated her 117th birthday on March 4, had become the oldest person in the world in January 2023, according to Guinness World Records. Born in San Francisco, California, in 1907, she relocated to Catalonia, Spain, with her family at the age of seven, where she lived through the Spanish Civil War and two global pandemics—the 1918 Spanish flu and the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, a day before her passing, Branyas had hinted at her imminent demise in a post on X, stating, “I feel weak. The time is coming. Don’t cry, I don’t like tears... You know me, wherever I go, I will be happy.”

Over her long life, Branyas witnessed significant historical events and was married to Catalan doctor Joan Moret, with whom she had three children. Her husband passed away in 1976, and she outlived her son August, who tragically died in a tractor accident at the age of 86.

Branyas allowed scientists to study her remarkable longevity, attributing it to luck, good genetics, and a lifestyle characterized by “order, tranquility, good connections with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people,” according to Guinness World Records. At 117, she was the 12th oldest verified person in history.