The oldest known living person, a French nun named Lucile Randon, passed away on Tuesday at 118, a spokesman confirmed to AFP.
On February 11, 1904, Randon, also known as South of France, is where sister Andre was born. At the time, World War I was still ten years away.
Spokesman David Tavella said she passed away in her care home in Toulon while sleeping.
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"There is a tremendous deal of sadness, but... she wanted to go with her loving brother. According to Tavella of the Sainte-Catherine-Laboure nursing home, "For her, it's a liberty.
Before the passing of Japan's Kane Tanaka at the age of 119 last year, the sister had long been the oldest European.
In April 2022, Guinness World Records formally recognized her accomplishment.
The city of New York's first subway line opened when Randon was born, and the Tour de France took place for the first time by then.
Living in the southern town of Ales, her family was a family of Protestants as the lone female among three brothers.
During a 116th birthday interview, she told AFP that One of her proudest moments was when two of her brothers returned from World War I. Favourite recollections.
"In households, it was uncommon for two dead instead of two alive. They both returned, "they added.
She cared for the children of affluent families while serving as a governess in Paris, a time she once referred to as the happiest of her life.
At the age of 26, she reverted to Catholicism and underwent baptism.
She entered the comparatively late age of 41, the Daughters of Charity order of nuns, motivated by a desire to "go further."
After then, Sister Andre served for 31 years in a hospital in Vichy, France.
Later in life, she relocated to the Mediterranean city of Toulon.
Prayer, meals, and visits from other residents and hospice staff were the highlights of her days in the nursing home.
Additionally, she consistently got letters, to virtually all of which she replied.
She avoided contracting Covid-19, a disease that affected 81 patients at her nursing home in 2021.
"My job kept me alive."
Last year, Randon told reporters that her profession and helping others had kept her in good health.
"People often say that work kills them, but for me, it kept me alive. I worked until I was 108 years old, she told reporters in the home's tearoom in April last year.
She used to look after other older adults who were considerably younger than herself, even though she was blind and resorted to a wheelchair.
"Instead of hating one another, people should support and care for one another. Things would be much better if we revealed all of it, she remarked during the same discussion with the media.
However, the Catholic nun had turned down demands for hair samples or DNA, claiming that "only the good Lord knew" the key to her long life.
According to longevity specialist Laurent Toussaint, Marie-Rose Tessier, a woman from Vendee, who is 112 years old, is most likely the new most senior person in France.
Toussaint cautioned, though, that it was always possible that an even older person had not yet come forward.
The oldest confirmed human age is 122, attained by Jeanne Calment, who passed away in 1997 in Arles, southern France.
