A former Brazilian pig farmer who had seven children with two partners has been officially named the world’s oldest man following the death of Englishman John Alfred Tinniswood.
Tinniswood died on Monday in Southport at the age of 112, just months after breaking the Guinness World Record.
The new owner has now been identified as Joao Marinho Neto, who turns 112 years and 55 days old today.
Guinness World Records said on
He added in a statement: “A Brazilian man has been confirmed as the world’s oldest living man following the death of Briton John Tinniswood at age 112.
‘Joao Marinho Neto was 112 years and 52 days old, as confirmed by LongeviQuest in Apuiares, Ceará, Brazil, on November 26.
‘Born in Maranguape, Ceará, Brazil, on October 5, 1912, he was previously recognized as the oldest living man in Brazil and Latin America.
“He is also now the last surviving man who was born in 1912.
Former Brazilian pig farmer Joao Marinho Neto became the oldest man in the world at 112 years and 55 days.
Joao in the photo with his son. He became the world’s oldest man following the death of Englishman John Alfred Tinniswood earlier this week.
Joao appears with his family in an undated photo. He has said that the secret to a long life is “being surrounded by good people and having your loved ones close.”
‘Joao was born into a family of farmers and moved with his parents to a rural area of Apuiares.
‘He helped his father in the field when he was four years old.
‘His jobs on the farm included helping to tend the livestock and harvesting fruit from the Juazeiro trees.
‘Joao married Josefa Albano dos Santos (1920-1994) and they had four children together: Antonio, José, Fátima and Vanda.
‘He followed in his father’s agricultural footsteps, farming the land his then wife inherited at Fazenda Massape, to grow corn and beans.
‘He also raised cattle, goats, pigs and chickens.
Joao, who has said that the secret to his long life is “being surrounded by good people and having his loved ones close”, later welcomed three more children named Vinicius, Jarbas and Conceicao with his partner Antonia Rodrigues Moura.
“He has six living children, 22 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.”
It comes after Briton John Alfred Tinniswooed (pictured) died this week aged 112. He had become the oldest man in the world.
A spokesman for LongeviQuest, which calls itself the world’s authority on maximum human longevity, said: ‘We extend our sincere congratulations to him and his family on this remarkable achievement. We wish you good health and many more years of happiness. “His story is an inspiration to people around the world.”
Joao became the oldest known living man in Latin America at the age of 111 years, 180 days on April 2 following the death of 114-year-old Venezuelan Juan Vicente Pérez Mora.
Pérez Mora’s death led World War II veteran Tinniswood to become the oldest man in the world for a few months.
Paying tribute to the lifelong Liverpool fan earlier this week, his family said in a statement: “John had many good qualities. He was intelligent, decisive, brave, calm in the face of any crisis, talented at mathematics and a great talkative.’
The oldest living woman in the world currently is Japanese Tomiko Itooka, who is 116 years old.