The oldest man in the history of the world has died in Japan at the age of 116.
Jiroemon Kimura, a former postman, died of natural causes in hospital in his hometown of Kyotango, western Japan, in the early hours of Wednesday, city officials told CNN. In December, Kimura had been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living person, and as the oldest man whose age had ever been verified. Kimura, who attributed his longevity to eating light, healthy meals, worked for the post office until his retirement in 1962, continuing to carry out agricultural work until the age of 90. Only the third man in history verified to have reached the age of 115, Kimura had seven children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grand children and 14 great-great grandchildren.
Born on April 19th, 1897, Kimura had been the world’s only male survivor of the 19th century. The oldest human in history was France’s Jeanne
Calment, who died in 1997 at the verified age of 122.