Aunt V, The World's Oldest Person, Dies In Jamaica At 117

Violet Mosse-Brown, the Jamaican woman believed to be the oldest person in the world, died Friday. Brown, known lovingly in her community as Aunt V, was born March 10, 1900 , and lived to be 117, according to the Jamaican government.

She died at Fairview Medical Centre in Montego Bay, St. James, about 2:30 p.m. local time, according to the Jamaica Observer. 

Andrew Holness, the prime minister of Jamaica, announced Aunt V’s death on Twitter and included a photo of his last visit to her home in Duanvale, Trelawny.

Holness visited her in April after she became the world’s oldest person , according to the Gerontology Research Group , a volunteer group that tracks the world’s longest-living people. 

During his visit, Holness gave the 117-year-old a Medal of Appreciation  and certificate to acknowledge her hard work and “robust life.” 

“God has chosen me for a purpose . I never believed I could live this long… to all of this 117 years, but God is good,” Aunt V told the prime minister. “Sometimes I laugh. God has a plan for everybody.”

Aunt V had an upcoming appointment to meet with Guinness World Record officials to ensure her official title as the oldest person on Earth. Although she had not been verified by Guinness, it is likely that Aunt V would have been awarded the title since the trusted record-tracking organization depends on the Gerontology Research Group’s information , according to The Associated Press.

“She’s the oldest person that we have sufficient documentation for at this time,” Robert Young, a director of the research group, told AP.

Aunt V was Jamaica’s first country-certified super-centenarian, a rare title saved for people who live past the age of 110. According to the Jamaican government, she was alive when Britain’s Queen Victoria reigned over the island. 

In April, Aunt V shared her secrets to living a long life: Hard work and faith in God.

“I was a cane farmer. I would do every work myself,” she told AP at the time. “I worked, me and my husband, over that hill.”

Aunt V added: “I spent all my time in the church. I like to sing. I spent all my time in the church from a child to right up” to that day.