World’s oldest man dies weeks before 115th birthday

Venezuelan Juan Vicente Perez Mora, certified in 2022 by Guinness World Records as the oldest man in the world, died on Tuesday at the age of 114, officials and relatives said.

Juan Vicente Pérez, who was born on May 27, 1909, would have celebrated his 115th birthday next month.

“Juan Vicente Perez Mora has transcended into eternity at 114 years of age,” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on social media platform X.

Perez was officially confirmed as the oldest man alive on February 4, 2022, when he was 112 years and 253 days old, according to Guinness.

A father of 11, as of 2022 he had 41 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.

The farmer known as Tio Vicente was born in the town of El Cobre, in the Andean state of Tachira on May 27, 1909, and was the ninth of 10 children.

“At the age of five years old, he started working with his dad and brothers in agriculture and assisted with sugar cane and coffee harvesting,” a Guinness statement from 2022 said.

Perez went on to become a sheriff and was responsible for resolving land and family disputes, while still working in agriculture.

In an interview with Guinness World Records, Mr Pérez Mora put his longevity down to “working hard, resting on holidays, going to bed early, drinking a glass of aguardiente every day, loving God, and always carrying him in his heart.”

He was married to Ediofina del Rosario García for more than six decades until her passing in 1997. They had six sons and five daughters together. The couple also had 42 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and, remarkably, 12 great-great-grandchildren.

--Agencies