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The world's oldest person has died at the age of 116

Jeralean Talley was born in Montrose, Georgia on 23 May 1899.

talley2uncut 116-year-old Jeralean Talley. WJBX WJBX

JERALEAN TALLEY WAS born in Montrose, Georgia, the American Deep South, on 23 May 1899.

She died yesterday, aged 116 – the world’s oldest person.

Her daughter Thelma Hollaway confirmed that her mother had passed away at her home in Inkster, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.

Holloway said today her mother was recently hospitalized and treated for fluid in her lungs, but was grateful to return home, “just where she wanted to be.”

Talley turned 116 last month, and celebrated her birthday with a ceremony at her church, and received a personal letter of congratulations from US President Barack Obama.

Speaking to WJBK in Detroit last month, she shared some of the wisdom she gathered by living in three centuries:

Treat your fellow man – I don’t care what colour – treat him like you want to be treated.

According to her daughter Thelma, she “didn’t believe in diets”, and ate precisely whatever she wanted, including junk food.

Talley’s husband died in 1988, aged 95.

snavely 113-year-old Kathleen Snavely, the oldest living Irish person. d mg d mg

The Gerontology Research Group, which keeps careful records of “super-centenarians“, considered Talley to be the world’s oldest person, followed by Susannah Mushatt Jones of Brooklyn, New York.

Jones turns 116 in July, and now assumes the title of world’s oldest person.

The oldest Irish person is Kathleen Hayes Rollins Snavely, who turned 113 in February.

Snavely, who was born in Feakle, Co Clare and now lives in New York, is also the longest-lived Irish person in history.

Contains reporting by the Associated Press.

Read: This woman is about to become the longest-living Irish person ever>

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19 Comments
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    Mute Phil O' Meara
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    Jun 18th 2015, 8:27 PM

    What? Again! This Oldest Person in the World title is nothing but a poisoned chalice…..

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    Mute Rashers Tierney
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    Jun 18th 2015, 8:42 PM

    Phil, that really was a cracker – kudos :-D

    113
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    Mute Egg Head
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    Jun 18th 2015, 8:32 PM

    Kathleen looks phenomenal for 113! She looks better than I do manys a Sunday morning!

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    Mute jason bourne
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    Jun 19th 2015, 12:28 AM

    And you’re only 109!

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    Mute Glenard
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    Jun 18th 2015, 8:29 PM

    Spanning 3 centuries.
    RIP

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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Jun 18th 2015, 9:39 PM

    Can’t be many left to do so. RIP

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    Mute Eamon Mac Gowan
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    Jun 18th 2015, 10:06 PM

    Just two people left who were born in the 1800′s, I am not a sentimental person but I think it’s a wonderful thing that they are still with us. When the last one dies I hope it will be treated as an extraordinary human event.

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    Mute Tap Solny
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    Jun 18th 2015, 8:39 PM

    Actually the world’s oldest person is still alive, but that distinction is no longer held by Jerlean Talley.

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jun 18th 2015, 9:53 PM

    The world’s oldest person will never die!

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    Mute Paul P O'Sullivan
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    Jun 18th 2015, 9:00 PM

    Pretty soon there won’t be any person on Earth left who was born in the 19th Century

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    Mute Martin Harte
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    Jun 18th 2015, 9:01 PM

    I bet she has seen some great things in her lifetime

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    Mute Keith Masterson
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    Jun 18th 2015, 9:26 PM

    rip , the history that woman seen is unbelievable…

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    Mute Bearsass Hairyarse
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    Jun 18th 2015, 9:26 PM

    Meh… I’ve woke up with worse!

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Jun 19th 2015, 3:30 AM

    This is very disheartening but predictable.

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    Mute M
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    Jun 19th 2015, 3:21 AM

    Jaysus theres people dying now never died before.

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    Mute Sean Reynolds
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    Jun 19th 2015, 9:56 AM

    Yep, it’s a bit morbid keeping tabs on the super-centenarians, but it is interesting to note that we shall soon approach the point where the eldest person on the planet will have been born in the 20th century. There will be nobody left who was born in the late 1800′s.

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    Mute Stephen Earle
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    Jun 19th 2015, 4:21 AM

    I bet she was a smoker !!

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    Mute Ken Fallon
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    Jun 19th 2015, 10:53 AM

    Gone too soon.

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