The Japanese Kane Tanaka, officially recognized as the doyenne of humanity, was born in 1903. She breathed her last at the age of 119. From now on, the “title” goes to the Alésienne, Sister André.
- In 2019, the Guinness Book of World Records awarded Kane Tanaka the title of the oldest living person in the world.
- On December 15, Marcel Meys, the dean of the French, died at the age of 112 at the hospital center in Vienne, in Isère.
- After Jeanne Calment, Sister André is the second Frenchwoman to become dean of humanity
On April 25, the Japanese authorities announced that Japan and the world had lost their dean. The oldest inhabitant of the planet, Kane Tanaka, died at the age of 119 on April 19. Until recently, the supercentenarian, born on January 2, 1903, was in relatively good health. She resided in a retirement home in her native region of Fukuoka in southwestern Japan.
The doyenne of humanity, who loved soda and chocolate, spent her days playing board games and solving math problems. During her youth, the Japanese had managed several businesses, including a noodle shop and a rice cake shop. In 1922, Kane Tanaka was married. This union gave birth to four children. In addition, the spouses had adopted a fifth child.
The new dean of humanity is a Frenchwoman
From now on, it is the dean of the French and Europeans who has inherited the title of Kane Tanaka. Sister André, 118 years old, was born in 1904 in Alès in the department of Gard, in Occitanie. She currently lives in an Ehpad in Toulon. Last year, she was talked about because she had managed to fight against the Covid-19.
As a reminder, this title of dean of humanity has already been occupied by another Frenchwoman. It was Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997, at the age of 122, in Arles. She was the oldest person who ever lived.