Maria Branyas Morera, World’s Oldest Person, Dies At 117

• Maria Branyas Morera died on August 19 at the age of 117.
• Prior to her passing, she was the world’s oldest living person.
• Maria attributed her longevity to a peaceful, fulfilling life with meaningful personal connections, proximity to nature, and a positive mindset.

On August 19, Maria Branyas Morera died. She was 117 years old when she passed away. According to a family statement shared on social media, Branyas died peacefully in her sleep at a nursing home in Catalonia, Spain, where she had lived for 20 years.

Prior to her death, Morera had been the world’s oldest known living person. She lived to 117 years, 168 days. Following her death, Japanese supercentenarian Tomiko Itooka, became the world’s oldest living person, having turned 116 this May.

The historic Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest citizen, has died

“Maria Branyas has left us,” Maria’s family announced in a Tuesday social media post. “She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain. We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness.” Her family also revealed that Morera had told them she felt this phase of her story coming to a close.

“I don’t know when, but very soon this long journey will come to an end,” she reportedly told them. “Death will find me worn down from having lived so much, but I want it to find me smiling, free, and satisfied.

“Don’t cry, I don’t like tears,” she had bid loved ones and fans alike in another post before her passing, “And above all, don’t suffer for me. Wherever I go, I will be happy.”

A historic life

Maria was born on March 4, 1907, in San Francisco, California, to an expatriate Spanish family. Due to serious financial strain and her father’s declining health, the family decided to return to Catalonia, where they had historic roots, but the trip was costly; her father died of tuberculosis en route and Maria lost hearing in one ear after falling from the deck of the ship.

Branyas worked as a nurse during the Spanish Civil War, working alongside her husband, Joan Moret, a traumatologist. The ’90s saw stability, even as Branyas took to traveling; she visited Egypt, Italy, the Netherlands, and England. Finally, in 2000, she settled down in a nursing home, where she was described as a very active resident for as long as possible, and she especially enjoyed playing the piano until she experienced total hearing loss.

Speaking with GWR, Branyas had once attributed her long life to “order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people.”