Maria Branyas, the World’s Oldest Person, Passes Away at 117 in Spain

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The family of Maria Branyas Morera, recognised as the world’s oldest person, confirmed on Tuesday that she has passed away at the age of 117.

“Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” her family announced in Catalan on her account on X. “We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness.”

Born in the United States in 1907, Maria Branyas Morera lived through two pandemics, two world wars, an earthquake, and a major fire, retaining many memories from her long and eventful life as she aged.

In an interview with the Spanish news outlet ABC last November, scientist Manel Esteller noted that despite her age, Branyas had “a completely lucid head.”

He added, “She remembers with impressive clarity events from when she was only four years old, and she does not present any cardiovascular disease, common in elderly people.”

Esteller had been studying Branyas to determine her biological age, as he believed she was “much younger physically” than her chronological age.

Her family shared on Tuesday that Maria Branyas Morera sensed her death was approaching, telling them days before she passed, “I don’t know when, but very soon this long journey will come to an end.”

She added, “Death will find me worn down from having lived so much, but I want to meet it with a smile, feeling free and satisfied.”

Maria Branyas Morera was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907. Her early years were spent in the United States, including a period in New Orleans where her father established a magazine. When she was still a young girl, her family returned to Spain, a journey she vividly remembered, particularly crossing the Atlantic Ocean during World War I.

At the age of 113, Branyas contracted COVID-19 during the global pandemic. Remarkably, despite being in the age group most vulnerable to the virus, she only experienced mild symptoms and avoided the severe complications that tragically claimed the lives of many older Spaniards.

Branyas was also known for her sense of humour, as reflected in her X account, which was aptly named “Super Catalan Grandma.” In the account description, she joked, “I am old, very old, but not an idiot.”