Joan Riudavets-Moll

Joan Riudavets-Moll
Birth:	15 December 1889 Menorca, Spain
Death:	5 March 2004 Menorca, Spain
Age:	114 years, 81 days
Country:	ESP
Validated

Joan Riudavets Moll (15 December 1889 – 5 March 2004) was a verified Spanish supercentenarian. He was believed to be the oldest verified person ever in the history of Spain at his time of death, but Maria Antonia Castro and Maria del Carmen Lopez were both older. He was born in Menorca. He became the oldest recognized person in Europe on the death of Italian Teresa Fumarola in May 2003, and the oldest recognized man in the world on the death of Yukichi Chuganji in September 2003. At age 113, he was the oldest man ever to accede to that position until Jiroemon Kimura succeeded Walter Breuning 5 days before his 114th birthday.

Life

Uncommonly fit for a supercentenarian, he was able to walk and ride a bicycle even at his advanced age. He worked as a cobbler until retiring in 1954, and was a former village councillor of Es Migjorn Gran. He would go to sleep at midnight and would sleep for 12 hours before getting up at around noon. He died, aged 114, after having a cold for a few days, but not being seriously ill. He was the last recognized surviving man born in the year 1889 and the 1880's decade.

His mother, Catalina Moll Mercades, died at age 25 before the end of December 1889, quite possibly giving her son the record for longest period by which anyone has survived a parent: 114 years, c.70 days.

He was survived by two younger half-brothers: Josep, who died in 2009 aged 102, and Pere, who died in 2006, aged 105, the oldest living resident on the island at the time of his death.

See also

• Longevity
• List of oldest validated supercentenarians
• Supercentenarian
• List of male supercentenarians

References

• BBC News 114th birthday story
• BBC News Obituary