Push Admin

World's oldest known person dies aged 118, says spokesman

Article (news)

Sandra Laffont, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="In this file photo taken on Feb. 10, 2021, Sister Andre, Lucile Randon in the registry of birth, the eldest French and European citizen, prays in a wheelchair, on the eve of her 117th birthday, in an EHPAD (Housing Establishment for Dependent Elderly People) in Toulon, southern France, where she has been living since 2009. The world" s="" oldest="" known="" Lucile="" as="" Sister="" has="" died="" aged="" her="" spokesman="" said="" on="" Jan.="" Randon="" was="" born="" in="" southern="" France="" Feb.="" when="" World="" War="" I="" still="" a="" decade="" away.="" Nicolas="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/overseas/01/18/randon.jpg"/><figcaption>In this file photo taken on Feb. 10, 2021, Sister Andre, Lucile Randon in the registry of birth, the eldest French and European citizen, prays in a wheelchair, on the eve of her 117th birthday, in an EHPAD (Housing Establishment for Dependent Elderly People) in Toulon, southern France, where she has been living since 2009. The world&#x27;s oldest known person, Lucile Randon, known as Sister Andre, has died aged 118, her spokesman said on Jan. 17, 2023. Randon was born in southern France on Feb. 11, 1904, when World War I was still a decade away. Nicolas Tucat, AFP</figcaption></figure></div>MARSEILLE, France — The world&#x27;s oldest known person, French nun Lucile Randon, has died aged 118, a spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.Randon, known as Sister Andre, was born in southern France on February 11, 1904, when World War I was still a decade away. She died in her sleep at her nursing home in Toulon, spokesman David Tavella said. &quot;There is great sadness but... it was her desire to join her beloved brother. For her, it&#x27;s a liberation,&quot; Tavella, of the Sainte-Catherine-Laboure nursing home, told AFP.The sister was long feted as the oldest European, before the death of <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/04/25/22/worlds-oldest-person-dies-at-119">Japan&#x27;s Kane Tanaka</a> aged 119 last year left her the longest-lived person on Earth.Guinness World Records officially acknowledged her status in April 2022.Randon was born in the year New York opened its first subway and when the Tour de France had only been staged once.She grew up in a Protestant family as the only girl among 3 brothers, living in the southern town of Ales.One of her fondest memories was the return of 2 of her brothers at the end of World War I, she told AFP in an interview on her 116th birthday.&quot;It was rare, in families, there were usually 2 dead rather than 2 alive. They both came back,&quot; she said.She worked as a governess in Paris -- a period she once called the happiest time of her life -- for the children of wealthy families.She converted to Catholicism and was baptized at the age of 26.Driven by a desire to &quot;go further&quot;, she joined the Daughters of Charity order of nuns at the relatively late age of 41.Sister Andre was then assigned to a hospital in Vichy, where she worked for 31 years.In later life she moved to Toulon along the Mediterranean coast.Her days in the nursing home were punctuated by prayer, mealtimes and visits from residents and hospice workers.She also received a steady flow of letters, almost all of which she responded to.In 2021 she survived catching COVID-19, which infected 81 residents of her nursing home.<div>&#x27;WORK KEPT ME ALIVE&#x27;</div>Randon told reporters last year that her work and caring for others had kept her spry.&quot;People say that work kills, for me work kept me alive, I kept working until I was 108,&quot; she told reporters in April last year in the tearoom of the home.Although she was blind and relied on a wheelchair, she used to care for other elderly people much younger than herself.&quot;People should help each other and love each other instead of hating. If we shared all that, things would be a lot better,&quot; she said at the same meeting with journalists.But the Catholic nun had rejected requests for locks of hair or DNA samples, saying that &quot;only the good Lord knows&quot; the secret of her longevity.It is likely that France&#x27;s new oldest person is now 112-year-old Marie-Rose Tessier, a woman from Vendee, longevity expert Laurent Toussaint told AFP.But Toussaint warned that it was always possible an even older person had not yet made themselves known.Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 in Arles, southern France, at the age of 122 holds the record for the oldest confirmed age reached by any human.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

The world's oldest known person, French nun Lucile Randon, has died aged 118, a spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.

World's oldest known person dies aged 118, says spokesman

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Overseas

World's oldest known person dies aged 118, says spokesman

Sandra Laffont,

Agence France-Presse

Published Jan 18, 2023 11:21 AM PHT

Read More:

France

Lucille Randon

world's oldest known person

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.