Jiroemon Kimura was also the oldest person in recorded history

Jun 12, 2013 08:04 GMT  ·  By

The world's oldest man, who also happened to be the oldest person in recorded history, passed away this Wednesday, in the early hours of the morning.

Jiroemon Kimura from Japan was born on April 19, 1897, and Guinness World Records “crowned” him the world's oldest person on December 17, 2012.

During his lifetime, the man fathered 7 children. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great-grandchildren, Sky News reports.

The same source informs us that Jiroemon Kimura died of natural causes some weeks after falling ill with pneumonia and being admitted to a Kyoto hospital.

When asked to explain how it was that he managed to reach this impressive age, the man said that, “Maybe it's all thanks to the sun above me. I am always looking up towards the sky, that is how I am.”

Now that Jiroemon Kimura has died, the title for the world's oldest person is expected to go to 115-year-old Misao Ookawa, a woman also born and living in Japan.