Gertrude Weaver, World's Oldest Woman, Dies At 116

By Krishnadev Calamur / NPR

Published April 6, 2015 at 11:58 AM PDT

This story was published more than 9 years ago.

Gertrude Weaver holds a flower given to her a day before her 116th birthday last year, at Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center in Camden, Ark. Weaver, who last week was named the world's oldest person, died Monday.

Last week Gertrude Weaver of Arkansas became the world's oldest person. Weaver died Monday at the age of 116. The cause was complications from pneumonia, according to KATV.

Weaver died at the Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center in Camden, Ark., where she was a resident, the TV station reported.

She would have turned 117 on the Fourth of July and said she wanted President Obama to attend her birthday party.

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As Bill reported last week, Weaver became the world's oldest woman upon the death of Japan's Misao Okawa, who died at the age of 117.

Reuters reports that Weaver, the daughter of sharecroppers, was born in Arkansas near the Texas border and worked as a domestic helper. Last week, upon assuming the title of world's oldest person, she said the secret to her longevity was being kind to everyone and eating her own cooking, the news service added.

With Weaver's death, the oldest person in the world is Jeralean Talley, who lives in the Detroit area. She was born on May 23, 1899, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks such data.