Juan Vicente Perez Mora, the world’s oldest man, has died at the age of 114, according to Guinness World Records.
The news was first shared by Freddy Bernal, governor of Tachira, Venezuela, where Mora lived.
Bernal called Perez an “archetype of a man.”
“Humble, hard-working, peaceful, enthusiastic about family and tradition,” Bernal wrote in a Spanish-language post to social media.
“Together, with my wife and children, we had the pleasure and pride of meeting him and sharing with his loved ones,” reads the post.
Born on May 27, 1909, Mora would have been 115 by the end of next month.
Members of the National Guard aid with the wheelchair of Juan Vicente Perez Mora, center, who is listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living male in the world, during his 113th birthday in San Jose De Bolivar in Tachira State in Venezuela, Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Gilberto Chacon)
Originally from San Jose de Bolivar, a small village on the west side of Venezuela, he started his first job at age five – helping his brothers and father harvest coffee and sugar cane, according to Guinness World Records.
As an adult, he became a sheriff responsible for resolving land disputes. He and his wife, Rosario Gardia, were together for 60 years until she passed away in 1997, Guinness World Records reported. He celebrated his 110th birthday in 2019, gaining the title of first male supercentenarian from Venezuela.
“It’s been an honour to recognize and celebrate the incredible long life of Venezuela’s first ever fully authenticated supercentenarian man,” Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said.
The organization says the next oldest living man is expected to be 112-year-old Gisaburo Sonobe of Japan, pending confirmation from his family.
Mora “will always be a symbol of goodness, wisdom and joy, which is why his legacy will live forever in our hearts and in our lives,” Bernal wrote.
