KINGSTON , Jamaica – Violet Mosse Brown, affectionately known as Aunt V, the world’s oldest person, died on Friday at a hospital in Montego Bay where she had been treated for heart arrhythmia and dehydration. She was 117 years and 189 days old.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed his condolences in a Facebook post, calling the supercentenarian “an inspiring woman.”
With her death, the Gerontology Research Group lists Nabi Tajima of Japan as the oldest surviving person. She was born on Aug. 4, 1900.
Brown was born in Jamaica on March 10, 1900. She was the first verified supercentenarian from Jamaica.
A biography posted on the website of a foundation named in her honour, said she was baptized at age 13 at the Trittonvale Baptist Church and remained a member throughout her life, long serving as organist. She credited her longevity to hard work and her Christian faith.
Her husband, Augustus Brown, died in 1997 and the eldest of her six children died in April at age 97.