World’s oldest person, Lucile Randon passes away at the age of 118

World’s oldest person: French nun Lucile Randon, the oldest person in the world, passed away at the age of 118. Randon, also known as Sister Andre, was born in southern France on February 11, 1904, a decade before World War I. Although she had previously been thought of as the oldest European, Kane Tanaka of Japan passed away last year at the age of 119, making her the oldest person in the entire globe. The record for oldest confirmed age reached by a human belongs to Jeanne Calment, also of southern France, who died in 1997 at the age of 122. Guinness World Records had officially recognised her status in April 2022.

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At the age of 26, she converted to Catholicism and was baptized.  She joined the Daughters of Charity order of nuns at the rather late age of 41, motivated by a desire to “go further.” Sister Andre was thereafter posted to a Vichy hospital, where she stayed for 31 years. Spending most of her life dedicated to religious service, Sister André also held the record for the oldest nun living. Later in life, she relocated to Toulon on the Mediterranean coast. Prayer, mealtimes, and visits from residents and hospice personnel interrupted her days in the nursing home. She also got letters on a regular basis, practically all of which she responded to. In 2021, she survived getting Covid-19, which infected 81 nursing home patients.

How do Guinness World Records validate the oldest people?

Guinness World Records works with lead consultant for gerontology, Robert D Young (USA), in the study of aging. Young has been the Director of the Supercentenarian Research Database Division for the Gerontology Research Group since 2015.