The oldest person of all time died Wednesday of natural causes at 116 years old.
Jiroemon Kimura, born in the southern Japanese city of Kyotango, passed away in a local hospital after a long battle with pneumonia.
The Guinness Book of World Records awarded Kimura with the title of the world's oldest living person and the oldest man to ever live-he was the first man in history who lived to be 116 years old, the Associated Press reported.
"Jiroemon Kimura was an exceptional person," editor-in-chief of the Guinness Book of World Records Craig Glenday said after Kimura passed. "As the only man to have ever lived for 116 years-and the oldest man whose age has been fully authenticated-he has a truly special place in world history."
Mayor of Kyotango Yasushi Nakayama said that Kimura was an invaluable addition to Japan.
"Mr. Kimura was and will always be a treasure to our town, to our country and to our world," he said.
Kimura was born on April 19, 1897. He worked as an employee at a post office, in addition to farming at his own home.
He gained the title of the oldest man ever on Dec. 28, 2012, when he was 115 years old. On his birthday, he broke the record that Danish-American Christian Mortensen-who lived from 1882-1998-set.
That same day, he said part of the reason he had lived so long could be attributed to exercise of the mind-power that he exerted by learning English. He also stressed the importance of getting out in the sun-another reason, perhaps, that he lived so long.
"I am always looking up towards the sky. That is how I am," Kimura said a year ago.
Now, another Japanese woman named Misao Okawa holds the spot for oldest living person. She is 115 years old and was born on March 5, 1898.
Kimura had seven children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great-grandchildren, all of whom survived him.
