The world's oldest person, a French nun, dies at 118 - CNN

CNN  — 

French nun Sister André, the world’s oldest known person, died connected Tuesday astatine the property of 118 successful the confederate metropolis of Toulon.

The city’s mayor, Hubert Falco, announced the quality of her decease connected Twitter, penning that “it is with immense sadness and emotion that I learnt contiguous of the passing of the world’s oldest idiosyncratic #SisterAndré.”

The nun’s spokesman, David Tavella, said she died connected Tuesday astatine 2 a.m. section clip and lived adjacent Toulon. “There is large sadness, but she wanted it to happen, it was her tendency to articulation her beloved brother. For her, it is freedom,” Tavella said.

Born arsenic Lucile Randon connected February 11, 1904, Sister André dedicated astir of her beingness to spiritual service, according to a connection released by Guinness successful April 2022.

Before becoming a Catholic nun, she looked aft children during World War II and past spent 28 years caring for orphans and aged radical astatine a hospital.

She was besides the oldest nun to ever live, according to Guinness.

When she turned 118 successful 2022, the nun received a handwritten day enactment from French President Emmanuel Macron – the 18th French president of her lifetime. There person besides been 10 antithetic Popes presiding implicit the Catholic Church since she was born.

She became the world’s eldest pursuing the decease of Kane Tanaka, a Japanese pistillate antecedently certified arsenic the world’s oldest person, who died astatine the property of 119 connected April 19.

The rubric of the oldest idiosyncratic ever recorded besides belongs to a French woman. Born connected February 21, 1875, Jeanne Louise Calment’s beingness spanned 122 years and 164 days, according to the Guinness World Records statement.