World's oldest person, Chiyo Miyako, dies in Japan at age 117

The oldest person in the world has died at age 117, officials in her home state in Japan confirmed Friday.

Chiyo Miyako, who was known to her family members as “the goddess,” died Sunday, said officials in Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo.

Guinness World Records has confirmed that she was the world’s oldest person. Her replacement is yet to be announced by Guinness, but according to media reports, the new oldest person is Kane Tanaka, a 115-year-old woman who lives in a nursing home in Fukuoka, a city in southern Japan.

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Tanaka is now the country's oldest person.

Miyako, born on May 2, 1901, became the world's oldest person in April after Nabi Tajima, a fellow Japanese national from the southern Kikai island, died at age 117.

Miyako’s family said she was a chatty person who was patient and kind to others and loved delicious food, with sushi and eels being favorites, according to Guinness World Records.

She started learning calligraphy as a child and practiced it until recently. She also had the chance to travel because her husband, Shoji, worked for Japanese National Railways, Guinness said.

The world’s oldest man, Masazo Nonaka, celebrated his 113th birthday Wednesday on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.

Jeanne Louise Calment from France holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest person ever. Born in 1875, she was 122 when she died in 1997.

Japanese women have the world's highest life expectancy of 87, while the men's life expectancy is in the world's top 10, according to the World Health Organization. The reasons are attributed to factors including the traditional Japanese diet and good health care.

The average age for women in America is 81.1 years; it's 76.1 years for men, according to a 2016 report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Contributing: The Associated Press

WSOC