The world's second-oldest woman has died at the grand age of 116 at a nursing home in Japan.
Fusa Tatsumi, who was Japan's oldest person and the second-oldest woman in the world, passed away peacefully at the facility in Osaka. Her final meal was her favorite - bean-paste jelly.
Tatsumi was born on April 25, 1907, and married her husband Ryutaro, who was a farmer, with the couple going on to have three children, according to local broadcaster MBS.
Her death was confirmed by an official in Osaka'a Kashiwara city, who said: "Tatsumi died aged 116 at a care facility in Osaka on Tuesday."
Tributes soon poured in for the 116-year-old, with her eldest son Kanji, 76, telling local media: "I think she did great to get to this age."
Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura also shared his condolences following Tatsumi's death, having attended a party in her honor in September.
He said: "I still remember how healthy Ms Fusa Tatsumi was. I sincerely pray for her soul."
Local media outlets had shared footage of Tatsumi at her 116th birthday party earlier in the year, which mostly showed her sitting in a wheelchair and sleeping at the celebration in April.
Tatsumi's incredible life began in Yao City, Osaka Prefecture, in 1907, when she was born as the fifth of six siblings.
After graduating from school, she married Ryutaro at the age of 32, and the pair grew peaches and grapes on their own farm.
She gave birth to her eldest daughter two years later in 1941, with her eldest son being born in 1947.
While Tatsumi was blessed with such a remarkably long life, her husband Ryutaro tragically died at just 55 years old.
The centenarian was no stranger to hard work - which her family has credited to helping keep her body healthy and aid in her longevity - as she worked on the family farm for over 20 years, carrying heavy baskets of fruit she'd harvested up and down the orchard's steep slopes.
When she wasn't cultivating her own crops, Tatsumi's passion was growing chrysanthemum flowers and doing flower arranging as a hobby.
The only serious injury she sustained during her life came while she was gardening, after she fell and broke her femur while tending to her flowers in her 70s.
She remained in good health throughout her life, being well enough to remain in her family home until she was 106.
Tatsumi maintained a healthy lifestyle, eating three meals a day consisting of fish, vegetables, and a small amount of meat.
In her care home, she would drink a litre of water a day, keeping a plastic bottle and cup in close reach of her bed for whenever she felt thirsty.
Tatsumi was also sociable with the staff who were looking after her, chatting to them even at the age of 110 and above.
She became the oldest person in Japan in April 2022, following the death of the previous title-holder, a woman named Kane Tanaka, who lived to be 119.
Tanaka had also been acknowledged as the world's oldest person in April 2022, however, that honor was passed down to Maria Branyas Morera from the US, who will turn 117 on March 4, 2024.
Prior to her death, Tatsumi had held the title of the second-oldest woman in the world, but since her passing, it now belongs to Edith Ceccarelli from the US.
Our thoughts remain with Tatsumi's family and friends at this time - what a remarkable life.
