RIP: Jiroemon Kimura

Jiroemon Kimura

19 April 1897 – 12 June 2013

ZUI this article from the Daily Mirror:

The world’s oldest person has died of natural causes at the age of 116.

Jiroemon Kimura who had seven children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great-grandchildren, passed away at a hospital yesterday.

Kimura was not only the oldest living person in the world - he was also the last surviving man born in the 19th century, and the only man verified by the Gerontology Research Group to have reached the age of 116.

According to this Wikipedia article, Kimura became the oldest living man on the death of Walter Breuning (21 Sep 1896-14 Apr 2011), and the oldest living person on the death of Dina Manfredini (4 Apr 1897-17 Dec 2012). He became the oldest man ever on 28 Dec 12, when he passed the age reached by Christian Mortensen (16 Aug 1882-25 Apr 1998).

According to the GRG, Kimura was the 27th supercentenarian (person who had reached the age of 110) to die in 2013. There are now 59 living supercentenarians: 55 women and four men, ranging from Japan's Misao Okawa (born 5 Mar 1898) to Pennsylvania's Ida Schlesinger (born 7 Nov 1902). 19 of these people - all women - were born in the 19th century. The oldest living man is now Newfoundland-born James McCoubrey (born 13 Sep 1901), who is the 32nd-oldest living person.

This article from Japan Today, posted three days before Kimura's death, talks about the changes in the world during his lifetime.