World’s oldest known man dies in UK

The world’s oldest man, John Tinniswood has passed away at the age of 112 at a care home in Southport, northwest England, as confirmed by Guinness World Records on Tuesday, November 26.

Tinniswood’s family shared that he spent his final day surrounded by music and love. They also expressed gratitude to those who cared for him throughout the years.

Living through both World Wars and being born the year the Titanic sank, Tinniswood credited his longevity to “pure luck,” though he advised moderation for health, saying, “If you do too much of anything, you’re going to suffer eventually.”

“You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it but if you drink too much or you eat too much or you walk too much, if you do too much of anything, you’re going to suffer eventually,” he added.

Currently, the world’s oldest living woman is Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who is 116.

Who was the world’s oldest man?

Born in Liverpool on August 26, 1912, Tinniswood became the world’s oldest living man in April after the death of Venezuela’s Juan Vicente Perez, who was 114.

In a statement, his family said to BBC that he ‘had many fine qualities.’

“He was intelligent, decisive, brave, calm in any crisis, talented at maths, and a great conversationalist.”

The qualities of the world’s oldest man were valuable during his service in the Royal Army Pay Corps during World War Two. Beyond managing accounts and audits, he also took on logistical tasks such as locating stranded soldiers and coordinating food supplies.

He met his wife, Blodwen, at a dance in Liverpool, and they married in 1942. Their daughter, Susan, was born in 1943.

The couple shared 44 years before Mrs Tinniswood passed away in 1986.

After the war, Tinniswood worked for Royal Mail and later as an accountant for Shell and BP, retiring in 1972. His family noted that he had an ‘active retirement’ volunteering as a church elder at Blundellsands United Reformed Church, where he also delivered sermons.