Updated 10.00pm
AN 117-YEAR-OLD Jamaican woman has been named as the oldest living person on the planet.
Violet Brown was born on 10 March 1900 and she’s now been named as the world’s oldest person after the death of Italian Emma Morano.
Jamaican President Andrew Holness tweeted a picture of Brown at the weekend, congratulating her on her achievement.
However, news emerged today that Brown’s 97-year-old son who lived with her in the western Jamaica town of Duanvale, Trelawny, had died.
Harold Fairweather had recently been ill, but had made a brief recovery before deteriorating further this morning.
One of the two family caretakers, Elaine McGrowder told the Associated Press: “He had been unwell for some time, but we didn’t expect him to go like this.
He was a very beautiful man – very, very special.
Secrets of her success
In an interview with Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner back in 2010, Brown says that her secret is a diet that avoids some meats and alcohol.
“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 (sic). You know, sometimes I ask myself, ‘Am I really 110 years old?’ because I don’t feel like 110,” she said.
According to Harold, Violet also eats smaller meals.
He told the Jamaica Observer that she “likes fish and mutton and sometimes she will have cow foot”.
Her diet contains plenty of locally-grown produce like sweet potatoes, breadfruit, oranges and mangoes.
When Brown was born Jamaica was still a British colony and she spoke about having to walk three miles when barefooted to fetch water before school.
“I tell you, these young people these days have it easy – piped water, taxis and buses to bring them where they want to go, everything to their convenience,” she said.
With reporting from Sean Murray, Associated Press
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