Juan Vicente Perez, the world’s oldest man, died on Thursday at the age of 114. His death came just two months before he was going to celebrate his 115th birthday.
In a recent interview, Perez attributed his longevity to “working hard, resting on holidays, going to bed early, drinking a glass of aguardiente [a strong liquor] every day, loving God, and always carrying him in his heart”.
A citizen of Venezuela, Perez was confirmed to be the world’s oldest living man by the Guinness World Records when he was aged 112 years and 253 days on 4 February 2022.
Perez was born on 27 May 1909 and married to Ediofina del Rosario Garcia for 60 years until she died in 1997. Together they had 11 children, six sons and five daughters. Later, they had 42 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
Perez celebrated his 110th birthday in 2019 and became the first male supercentenarian from Venezuela. He lived through two World Wars and the COVID pandemic.
Soon after the news of the death of Perez broke out, Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro tweeted: “Juan Vicente Perez Mora has transcended into eternity at 114 years old, from the town of El Cobre he gave Venezuela the Guinness Record for being the oldest man in the world.
After Perez’s death, the world’s next oldest living man is expected to be Gisaburo Sonobe of Japan. He is 112 years old at the moment and this figure is pending confirmation from his family, according to the Guinness World Records.
