‘World’s Oldest Man’ Jose Paulino Gomes Dies At 127, Few Days Before His Next Birthday

The World’s Oldest Man, Jose Paulino Gomes, passed away at 127, one week before his 128th birthday, after experiencing organ failure. Jose was laid to rest at the Corrego dos Fialhos Cemetery in Pedra Bonita on July 29. He had lived through both World Wars and three pandemics.

The late centenarian, a former animal tamer, was reportedly very agile until his death, as he was still actively riding horses four years ago. He is survived by seven children, 25 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren.

Jose Paulino Gomes’ age is controversial

Although Gomes is being touted as the world’s oldest man, there have been certain counterclaims as the current Guinness World Records titleholder is Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera, who is 115 years old. Before that, the Guinness World title was held by French woman Jeanne Calment who passed away at the remarkable age of 122 in 1997.

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Willyan Jose Rodrigues de Souza, a legal adviser, has revealed that Gomes’ age could be correct because his 1917 marriage certificate from Pedra Bonita’s registry office showed that he was born on August 4, 1895. “According to the record, he got married at 22 years old,” he explained. “It is presumed that he was indeed born before 1900. Men rarely got married at 17.”

Eliane Ferreira gives reason for the controversy surrounding her grandfather’s ‘World’s Oldest Man’ title

While speaking with local press, Gomes’ granddaughter, Eliane Ferreira, revealed that the confusion about her grandfather’s age was due to the inappropriate record keeping obtainable where he was born. “Here in the countryside, people are usually registered when they are older. There are several cases with incorrect documentation,” she admitted. “But his documentation showed he was younger than he actually was.”

She added that they decided to investigate Gomes’ age based on an old neighbor’s revelation. “There is a lady nearby who is 98 years old. She says she knew him when he was just a boy. That’s when we became curious to confirm his age and looked up the registry office to find out what was correct,” she shared. “He definitely was over 100 years old, at least 110. Now we need to know how it will be recorded on the death certificate.”