Venezuelan Juan Vicente Perez Mora, who was certified by Guinness World Records in 2022 as the world’s oldest man, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 114, according to officials and relatives.
His death was confirmed by Freddy Bernal, the governor of Táchira, Venezuela, where Juan lived.
He wrote on X: “Our dear Juan Vicente Perez Mora, today with deep sadness and pain we say goodbye to you, to that archetype of a man from Tachira, humble, hard-working, peaceful, enthusiastic about family and tradition.
“Together with my wife and children we had the pleasure and the pride of meeting him and sharing with his loved ones.
“My old Don Vicente, we will always remember him for his optimism in life, for faith, hope and that deep love for our state of Tachira.
“He will always be a symbol of goodness, wisdom and joy, which is why his legacy will live forever in our hearts and in our lives.
“Rest in peace my dear old man, my Don Juan Vicente. We will never forget you.”
“Juan Vicente Perez Mora has transcended into eternity at 114 years of age,” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on social media platform X.
Perez was officially recognized as the world’s oldest living man on February 4, 2022, when he was 112 years and 253 days old, as documented by Guinness.
A father of 11, as of 2022, he had 41 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
The farmer affectionately known as Tio Vicente was born in the town of El Cobre, located in the Andean state of Tachira, on May 27, 1909. He was the ninth of 10 children.
“At the age of five years old, he started working with his dad and brothers in agriculture and assisted with sugar cane and coffee harvesting,” a Guinness statement from 2022 said.
Perez went on to become a sheriff and was responsible for resolving land and family disputes, while still working in agriculture.