Lucile Random, who held the record for the world’s oldest person, died in Toulon, France. And who takes over now? A 115yearold Mexican woman, who was born on March 4, 1907, beats the record at that time. María Branyas currently resides in Spain and has three children, 11 grandchildren and 13 greatgrandchildren.
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Covid19
Both Randon and Branyas have been infected with the Covid19 virus during the pandemic. However, both recovered without complications. At the time the French woman was infected, more than 80 cases and a dozen deaths were recorded in the nursing home where she lived.
A spokeswoman for the institute reported the death. “It’s a great sadness, but … it was her desire to join her beloved brother. It’s a liberation for them.”
Finally, it’s important to point out that the world’s oldest woman died in her sleep. Randon led a life dedicated to the Church. When she became a nun in 1944, she took the name Sister André.
Born in France in 1904, she has witnessed two world wars and 27 French heads of state, as well as a pandemic that survived unscathed.
The oldest ever
Randon died at the age of 118, just 25 days before completing another year of life. In doing so, she became the third oldest person in recorded history. Second is Japan’s Kane Tanaka, who held the record for oldest person before Randon at 119.
Finally, the oldest known person is also French. Jaanne Calment died in 1997 at the age of 122.