Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, a Venezuelan farmer who gained global recognition as the world’s oldest living man, died on Tuesday at the age of 114 years old. His death was confirmed by Freddy Bernal, governor of Táchira, Venezuela, where Juan had lived with his family.
The deceased would have turned 115 next month.
Born on May 27, 1909 in El Cobre, Venezuela, Pérez Mora was the ninth child in a family of ten. He spent his life immersed in agriculture, where he worked along with his father and brothers harvesting sugarcane and coffee, starting from the tender age of five.
He left behind a family of 11 children, 41 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
Governor Bernal expressed sadness and shared condolences in a tweet on X, stating “Our dear Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, today with deep sadness and pain we say goodbye to you, to that archetype of a man from Tachira, humble, hard-working, peaceful, enthusiastic about family and tradition.”
On February 4, 2022, at the age of 112 years and 253 days, Pérez Mora officially became the oldest living man, according to Guinness World Records.
Despite his old age, Pérez Mora did not surpass the absolute longevity record for a man, as it was held by Jiroemon Kimura of Japan, who lived to be 116 years and 54 days old.
For women and humans overall, the French Jeanne Calment held the overall longevity record. She died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days.