World's oldest person dies at 116, had the title for 5 days

A 116-year-old American woman, who became the world's oldest person last week, has died after suffering complications from pneumonia.

Gertrude Weaver from Arkansas became next in line to officially earn the title of oldest person when 117-year-old Misao Okawa of Japan died on Wednesday.

Weaver fell sick on Saturday and died yesterday at Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Centre. She is survived by her son, Joe Weaver, who turns 94 today.

Weaver was fully aware of her unique place in the world and "knew everything", Washington Post quoted Kathy Langley, administrator at the rehabilitation centre, as saying.

"She was alert and oriented," Langley said.

"She knew that she was the oldest person in the world, and she enjoyed that distinction greatly. She enjoyed every phone call, every letter, every comment - everything was read to her."

Born in 1898 as the youngest of six children in southwest Arkansas, Weaver was the daughter of sharecroppers.

She once told a newspaper that her longevity was due to "treating everybody good" and eating her own cooking.

Weaver married Gennie Weaver in 1915, and their marriage certificate was used by researchers in July to help verify her age, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which validates ages of the world's longest-living people.

At age 104, she briefly entered a nursing home to recover from a broken hip, but she soon left the home and continued living with her granddaughter until the age of 109.

Figuring out the world's oldest person is not an easy task, and the title goes to an individual whose age can be verified by some sort of documentation who typically applies for the recognition.

The world's oldest known person is now Jeralean Talley, who was born on May 23, 1899 and will turn 116 next month, according to the group.