The world’s oldest man, Saturnino de la Fuente, dies at his home in northern Spain
He passed away on 18 January, aged 112, surrounded by his family
I. SANTOS
Wednesday, 19 January 2022, 13:15
The world’s oldest man, Saturnino de la Fuente, has died in northern Spain just three weeks shy of what would have been his 113rd birthday on 8 February 2022.
Official records say he was born on 11 February, but he maintained his birthday was on 8 February and that is the day he celebrated it with his family.
On 29 April in 1933, he married Antonina Barrio and they settled in Puente Casto. They had seven daughters and one son. Saturnino was a shoemaker by profession and a football enthusiast playing as centre-forward for the local football team which he helped found in 1927.
In the last years of his life, he was cared for by his daughter Angelines in León.
When asked about the secret of his longevity, he said it came down to "a quiet life and not harming anyone." He held the record as the world’s oldest man since September 10, 2021. The previous record holder lived to 112 years and 279 days.
The world’s oldest person is Kane Tanaka, a Japanese woman who is 118 years old. The oldest person to have ever lived was Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days.
Saturnino is survived by his daughters, 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
