After having lived through what is arguably the most eventful century in history, the world’s oldest man – Yasutaro Koide from Japan – has died at the age of 112, just two months short of his 113th birthday.
Officials said he died of heart failure and pneumonia, BBC reported.
Born on March 13, 1903, Koide was named the oldest man by Guinness World Records in August 2015, and it is still not known who succeeds him.
Even at such an old age, Koide was able to walk around the house, use his own teeth instead of dentures, and was able to read without glasses. He worked as a tailor at a men’s clothes shop in Tsuruga, and was living with his daughter for five years. He had seven children, nine grandchildren and at least one great-grandchild.
BBC reports that when asked the secret to his long life, Koide said it was to “live with joy” and “not overdo things”, besides abstaining from smoking and drinking. He said his favourite food was bread.
Japan was also home to the world’s oldest woman – 117-year-old Misao Okawa – until her death last year. The title is now held by 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones from New York.
The person who lived the longest ever was Jeanne Calment from France, who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days. Japan is home to 61000 centenarians of which 90% are women, said the BBC.
All images sourced from Reuters