World’s oldest man dies in Spain aged 113

Francisco Nunez Olivera’s passing ‘a pity for the entire village and the whole world’

Fracisco Nunez Olivera, celebrating his 113th birthday, a month before he passed away (Gerontology)

Francisco Nunez Olivera, the world’s oldest man, has died at his home in Spain – a month after celebrating his 113th birthday.

He passed away around 10.30pm on Monday night.

The mayor of Bienvenida, a village in south-west Spain where he lived his entire life, described it as “a pity for the entire village and the whole world”, reported Spanish newspaper El Periodico.

Mr Olivera, who was born on 13 December 1904, was known locally as “Marchena”, a nickname given to him when a child mistook him for the famous Spanish singer, Pepe Marchena.

The retired farmer reportedly took daily walks alone in his village until he was 107, and started to read again at 98 following an operation to cure his cataracts.

World’s oldest living people  

As of 30 January 2018, the top 10 are all women  

1) Nabi Tajima, born 4 August 1900, aged 117 years and 179 days, from Japan

2) Chiyo Miyako, born 2 May 1901, aged 116 years and 273 days, from Japan

3) Giuseppina Projetto, born 30 May 1902, aged 115 years and 245 days, from Italy

4) Kane Tanaka, born 2 January 1903, aged 115 years and 28 days, from Japan

5) Maria Giuseppa Robucci, born 20 March 1903, aged 114 years and 316 days, from Italy

6) Iso Nakamura, born 23 April 1903, aged 114 years and 282 days, from Japan

7) Delphine Gibson, born 17 August 1903, aged 114 years and 166 days, from the US

8) Lucile Randon, born 11 February 1904, aged 113 years and 353 days, from France

9) Tomoe Iwata, born 25 March 1904, aged 113 years and 311 days, from Japan

10) Shin Matsushita, born 30 March 1904, aged 113 years and 306 days, from Japan

It was apparently one of only two occasions he ever went to hospital.

Guillermo Fdez Vara, president of the Extramadura, the region in which Mr Olivera lived, took to Twitter to pay his respects: “Rest in peace, good man. Until always Marchena.”

He leaves behind four children, nine grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren

The supercentenarian became the world’s oldest man after the death in August 2017 of Yisrael Kristal, a Holocaust survivor who lived to the age of 113 and 330 days.

In 2015, he told newspaper El Mundo he wanted to live a couple more years despite his friends having all passed away. “I know I’m old but I don’t feel old,” he said.