LONDON, UK — For nearly nine months, John Alfred Tinniswood held the title of world’s oldest man, marking his 112th birthday during his reign.
His record-holding status ended Monday when Tinniswood died in a care home in northwest England near Liverpool, where he was born on Aug. 26, 1912, his family said in a statement.
Tinniswood attributed his longevity to “pure luck.”
“You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it,” the retired accountant and great-grandfather told the Guinness World Records when he earned the title in April.
If there was any secret to it, though, he said moderation was key to a healthy life. He never smoked, rarely drank and followed no special diet, apart from having fish and chips every Friday.
“If you drink too much or you eat too much or you walk too much — if you do too much of anything — you’re going to suffer eventually,” Tinniswood said.
Tinniswood was born a few months after the sinking of the Titanic. He lived through two world wars and served in the British Army Pay Corps in World War II.
Tinniswood was 111 this spring when he claimed the record after Juan Vicente Pérez, of Venezuela, died at 114.
Guinness World Records did not name who would replace Tinniswood as the new record holder.
He is survived by his daughter Susan, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His wife of 44 years, Blodwen, died in 1986.
When Tinniswood turned 112 in August, he said he was taking it in stride — like everything else he did.
“I don’t feel that age, I don’t get excited over it,” he said. “That’s probably why I’ve reached it.”
The world’s oldest living woman, and oldest living person, is Japan’s 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka.