World's oldest man who lived through three pandemics dies a week before 128th birthday

The world's oldest man, Jose Paulino Gomes, has died just one week shy of his 128th birthday.

A resident of Brazil, Gomes as per local media reports, died just seven days before his birthday at his home in Corrego del Cafe in Pedra Bonita, Minas Gerais state, on Friday.

Three pandemics, discovery of X-ray and more

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As per Mirror UK, the centenarian must have lived through not just one, but three pandemics, the two world wars and was borneven before the death of British Queen Victoria.

His birth certificate for the year 1917 shows that he was born on 4th August 1895, which means he was born before the first-ever high school proms (1920s) and the discovery of X-rays (November 1985).

Willyan Jose Rodrigues de Souza, a legal adviser to a registry office in nearby Pedra Bonita, as quoted by Daily Mail, said, "According to the record, he got married at 22 years old. It is presumed that he was indeed born before 1900. Men rarely got married at 17."

If the records are true, Jose would have been the oldest known person in the world.

According to his family, the 127-year-old died from multiple organ failure, likely due to his advanced age.

What was the secret of his ripe old age?

Speaking to local media, his granddaughter Eliane Ferreira said that Gomes, who had seven children, 25 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren, "was very simple, very humble. His uniqueness was that he didn't like anything industrialised, only things from the countryside, natural."

Previously having worked as an animal tamer, the 127-year-old "raised chickens, pigs... his food was all from here, had to be grown or raised here. And he always liked to have a little drink," she added.

World's "new" oldest person

According to the Guinness World Records, the holder of the record is 115-year-old Maria Branyas Morera from Spain.

Gomes's age is an estimate based on his marriage certificate.As per his granddaughter, "Here in the countryside, people are usually registered when they are older."

"There are several cases with incorrect documentation. But his documentation showed he was younger than he actually was," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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