World's Oldest Man, a Spanish Cobbler and Great-Grandfather, Dies 1 Month Before 113th Birthday
Guinness World Records
The world's oldest man, Saturnino de la Fuente García of Spain, has died at age 112.
De la Fuente García's death was confirmed by Guinness World Records' senior gerontology consultant Robert Young, their website says. At the time of his death, the record-breaking centenarian was 112 years and 341 days old.
His son-in-law, Bernardo Marcos, told U.K. outlet The Times that de la Fuente García died "at around 11 o'clock in the morning, shortly after breakfast" at his home in León, a city in northwest Spain.
Marcos added that de la Fuente García "began to breathe heavily, and in a few seconds he went out like a candle."
Born on Feb. 11, 1909, de la Fuente García was set to celebrate his 113th birthday next month.
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His death comes just months after Guinness World Records crowned de la Fuente García the world's oldest living man in September 2021. At the time, he told Guinness "a quiet life… and do not hurt anyone," were his two tips for living a long and happy life.
De la Fuente García began his life in Puente Castro, and survived the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, USA Today reported. He went on to forge a career as a shoemaker after being excluded from the Spanish Civil War due to his height, which Guinness listed as just under five feet.
The celebrated shoemaker — who went by the nickname "El Pepino" — made boots for the Spanish army during the war, which began in 1936, per Guinness.
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Shortly before the war, de la Fuente García wed Antonina Barrio Gutiérrez in 1933. The couple had seven daughters and one son, who died as a child, according to Guinness.
In addition to his daughters, he is survived by 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
While de la Fuente García was known for his business, he also enjoyed watching soccer outside of work, according to USA Today. The late record-breaker was a "die-hard" fan of his local team, Cultural Leonesa, the outlet reported.
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De la Fuente García will be buried at a local Spanish cemetery on Wednesday, according to Spanish news agency EFE, per USA Today.
