The oldest person in the world, Italian resident Emma Morano, died peacefully at her home in Lake Maggiore, Italy. Her caretaker, Dr. Carlo Brava told the Associated Press that Mrs. Morano stopped breathing while sitting in her armchair that Saturday afternoon.
Emma Morano died at the age of 117, making her a supercentenarian. Her age has been confirmed and she was the last living person verified to have been born in the 1800s.
According to Reuters, Mrs. Morano was born on Nov. 29, 1899. She has outlived two World Wars, 90 Italian governments, and all the members of her family.
When asked about the secret of her longevity, Mrs. Morano said that being single helped, as well as her diet of eating two-three raw eggs a day. She claimed she has never used drugs in her life and that her outlook on her future was mostly positive.
Emma Morano was married, but it was short lived as her husband was abusive and controlling. Although she did have a child, it died six months after it was born in a crib death, and in 1938, she separated from her husband.
For most of her life, she worked in a jute bag factory until 1954 and then worked in the kitchen of Collegio Santa Maria well past her retirement age. She lived in a one-bedroom apartment all by herself until her death and was only constantly visited by her two elderly nieces and caretaker, Dr. Carlo Brava.
Dr. Brava said that he last talked to Mrs. Morano the day before her death. He also said that for the last few weeks, she had been spending most of her time sleeping than talking, indicating her slow passing. Dr. Brava was glad that his patient didn't suffer in her death and has passed on "tranquilly."
Emma Morano was awarded the honor of Knight of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by President Giorgio Napolitano back in 2011. She has also received a certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest person alive back on July 29, 2016.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
