‘World’s oldest man’ who ‘liked a drink’ dies aged 127 in Brazil, local reports claim
The ‘oldest man in the world’, who ‘liked to drink’, has died in Brazil at the age of 127, local media report.
According to written records, Jose Paulino Gomes was born before the very first Proms, the first rugby league football game and the discovery of x-rays.
Jose died on July 28 at his home in Corrego do Cafe, in a rural area of Pedra Bonita, Minas Gerais state.
According to Cartorio Silva, the only civil registry in Pedra Bonita, Jose was born on August 4, 1895, according to his 1917 marriage certificate, local reports said.
Willyan Jose Rodrigues de Souza, legal adviser to Cartorio Silva, said: ‘According to the records, he got married at the age of 22. It is believed that he was indeed born before 1900. Men rarely get married at 17.’
If true, Jose would have been the oldest known person in the world.
Jose Paulino Gomes, the world’s oldest man, according to local media, has died at the age of 127
The current record holder, according to the Guinness World Records, is Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera, who is 115.
Jose’s granddaughter Eliane Ferreira told local media: ‘Here in the countryside people are usually registered when they are older.
“There are several cases of incorrect documentation. But his documentation showed that he was younger than he actually was.
“There is a lady nearby who is 98 years old. She says she knew him when he was a boy.
“Then we got curious to confirm his age and looked up the registry office to find out what was correct.
“He must have been over 100 years old, at least 110. Now we need to know how that will appear on the death certificate.”
Jose, who worked as an animal tamer, was a widow. He is survived by seven children, 25 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren.
Eliane said, “He was very simple, very humble. His uniqueness was that he didn’t like industrialized things, only rural things, of course.
“He raised chickens, pigs… His food all came from here, had to be raised or grown here. And he always liked to have a drink.’
Jose died on July 28 at his home in Corrego do Cafe, in a rural area of Pedra Bonita, Minas Gerais state. He was reportedly born in 1895
Another granddaughter, Fabiola Oliveira, told local media: ‘Four years ago he stopped horse riding. He was in bed for about a month.
“He will leave many stories and memories for all of us.”
According to his family, Jose’s cause of death was multiple organ failure, probably due to his advanced age.
He was buried on July 29 in the Corrego dos Fialhos cemetery in Pedra Bonita.
It is not clear whether Guinness World Records is investigating the claims.