Jamaican Violet Brown is the new “oldest living person in the world.”

Violet Brown

THE UNITED States-based Gerontology Research Group is reporting that Jamaican Violet Brown, who was born on March 10, 1900, is the world's oldest woman. This conflicts with unofficial reports of a 134 year-old woman currently living in Nigeria.

Jamaican Violet Brown is the new “oldest living person in the world.” Brown – who is 117 years and 36 days old – came to hold this prestigious title after fellow supercentenarian Emma Morano died yesterday at the aged 117 years and 137 days old. A supercentenarian is a person who has lived to or passed their 110th birthday.

This follows the death on Easter Saturday of Emma Morano, who was born on November 29, 1899 in the Piedmont region of Italy. She was officially the last person born in the 1800s still living.

Brown had told The Gleaner that her long and happy life was due to her living right rather than any special diet.

Emma Morano

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Brown – who still lives in the same house in where she was born – said: “I live by the grace of God and I am proud of my age.” Brown's son Harold Fairweather shared some of his mother's favorites during the interview. “She likes fish and mutton and sometimes she will have cow foot,” he said. “But she does not eat pork or chicken.” Brown also likes to eat sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, breadfruit and fruits, especially oranges and mangoes.

"Honour your mother and father so your days may be long," said Brown, as she credited her respect for family, life and people in general, as well as a lot of hard work when she was younger for helping her to lead a fruitful life.

"Really and truly, when people ask what me eat and drink to live so long, I say to them that I eat everything, except pork and chicken, and I don't drink rum and dem tings," Brown said.

Fairweather, at 96 years old, is believed to be the oldest person alive with a living parent.

Sparqlzzz News.