World's oldest man, Saturnino de la Fuente García, dies 3 weeks before his 113th birthday

The Guinness World Records announced on Wednesday that the world's oldest man, Spaniard Saturnino de la Fuente Garcia, has passed away at the age of 112 years and 341 days. The London-based organisation had given him the title of the world's oldest man last September when he turned 112 years and 211 days old.

He was born on February 11, 1909, in the Puente Castro neighbourhood of Leon, and at the age of 13, he started working as a cobbler at a shoe factory, later crafted boots for the army, and went on to become a popular artisan in the area. According to Guinness World Records, he was called "El Pepino" by his friends and family. He married Antonina Barrio Gutiérrez in 1933.

World’s oldest man dies at the age of 112

According to EFE, he had survived the Spanish flu pandemic that broke in the year 1918 and also witnessed the Spanish Civil War in 1936, where he avoided going to the fight owning his small height. El Pepino had seven children, 14 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren. Saturnino Garcia was just three weeks away from celebrating his 113th birthday on February 8, 2022.

According to Guinness World Records, he believed in living 'a quiet life' and this was his secret to longevity. He was an avid football lover and an ardent supporter of Leon’s team, Cultural Leonesa, and even founded a local football team named Puente Castro’s local team.

Although Spaniard Saturnino de la Fuente Garcia lived a very long life, he wasn't the oldest person in the world. As per the Guinness website, France's Jeanne Louise Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days, was the oldest person who ever lived. Meanwhile, Japan's Kane Tanaka, who is the world's oldest living person, turned 119 years old just a few days ago.

(Image: Twitter/@Guinnessworldrecords)