Kane Tanaka, who was verified as the world’s oldest person, has died. Ms. Tanaka was 119 years old, and died of old age in a hospital in Fukuoka, Japan on the 19th of April. She had lived in a nursing home since 2018, and was still relatively active even on her most recent birthday. In March of 2019, Ms. Tanaka was named as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records. She held the title for just over three years.

Born in January of 1903, Ms. Tanaka was alive before the Wright brothers ever made a flight in a powered airplane. At the age of 19, she married her cousin, Hideo Tanaka. They had five children, and Mr. Tanaka died in 1993. Ms. Tanaka experienced several health problems and more than one bout with cancer during her life. She even had cancer surgery when she was 103, and continued living life and enjoying hobbies that were important to her.

In 1937, when Japan and China went to war, her eldest son and her husband both joined the war effort. That led Ms. Tanaka to become much more involved in the family business, because she had to take over a lot of the duties that her husband and son had previously handled. With a household and family to manage, along with the extra aspects of the business, she kept busy and was able to protect the business until her husband and son could come home from the war.

Even though many people talk about eating healthy when asked about living a long time, Ms. Tanaka enjoyed carbonated drinks and chocolate frequently. She had a motto of “Don’t give up and say there’s no point. Live with all your heart.” While she stated in the past that she wanted to live to 120, her long life is a tribute to all that mattered to her, and to her joy in experiencing so much throughout the years.

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