World's oldest living man sets Guinness record

Guinness World Records has declared Emilio Flores Marquez as the world's oldest living man at the age 112 years and 326 days old.

Also Known as “don milo," Marques was born on August 8, 1908, in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and was the 2nd among 11 siblings, the Guinness World Records website said.

As the firstborn son of the family, Marquez had a lot of responsibilities towards performing chores and bringing up his younger siblings. He started helping his father at a sugarcane farm at a very young age.

“I was the oldest of the children, so I did everything. I scrubbed, I took care of the boys, I did everything," he said.

Despite losing his hearing at the age of 11 after surgery, he continued to enjoy his life to its fullest.

Emilio received his official Guinness World Records title certificate at his home in Puerto Rico. Sharing his sentiments, he said: "You need to have an abundance of love and to live life without anger."

After being in a beautiful marriage with Andrea Perez for 75 years, he and his wife formed a beautiful family of four children. Unfortunately, his wife passed away in 2010. Today, he has five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He currently lives in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, where his two children, Tirsa and Millito take care of him.

According to Emilio, his key to advanced years lay in compassion. 

"My father raised me with love, loving everyone. He always told me and my siblings to do good, to share everything with others. Besides, Christ lives in me," he said.

The previous oldest living man recognised by the Guinness World Records was Romania’s Dumitru Comănescu (b. November 21, 1908). He held the record for less than one month before his death on June 27, 2020, at the age of 111 years 219 days.

"It's always an honour to celebrate these remarkable human beings, and this year we've processed applications from not one but two contenders for the title of an oldest living man," said  Craig Glenday, the Editor-in-Chief at Guinness World Records.

"I am thrilled to feature Sr. Márquez - born, interestingly, on the 8th day of the 8th month in the 8th year of the 20th century! - and bring his fascinating story to the wider public. But alongside this, I am also pleased that we got the chance to pay our respects to Dumitru Comănescu, who briefly held the record but sadly passed before we went to press."