Jeanne Louise Calment is the oldest person in recorded history. Born in Arles, France, on 21 February 1875, she lived to the staggering age of 122 years and 164 days — a record no human being has come close to matching. She cycled until she was 100, starred in a film at 114, and released a rap-infused CD at 121. Her life raises an unavoidable question: how did Jeanne Calment live so long?
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Jeanne Louise Calment was born on 21 February 1875 in Arles, France.
- She died on 4 August 1997, aged 122 years and 164 days — the longest verified human lifespan ever recorded.
- She outlived her husband, her only daughter, and her grandson, leaving no heirs.
- She credited olive oil, port wine, and chocolate for her extraordinary longevity.
- The current oldest person alive is British woman Ethel Caterham, aged 117.
Profile summary
Full name | Jeanne Louise Calment |
Born | 21 February 1875, Arles, France |
Died | 4 August 1997, Arles, France |
Age at death | 122 years, 164 days |
Nationality | French |
Spouse | Fernand Calment (m. 1896; d. 1942) |
Children | Yvonne (b. 1898; d. 1934) |
Burial place | Trinquetaille Cemetery, Arles |
Known for | Longest verified human lifespan |
Record holder since | 12 May 1990 |
Early life and family in Arles
Jeanne Louise Calment was born on 21 February 1875 in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence. Arles was a thriving city on the Rhône — and it happened to attract a particular Dutch painter whose stay there would later give Calment one of history's most unusual footnotes.
Some of her close family members also had an above-average lifespan: her older brother, François (1865–1962), lived to 97; her father, Nicolas (1837–1931), a shipbuilder, to 93; and her mother, Marguerite Gilles (1838–1924), who came from a family of millers, to 86. Longevity, it seems, ran in the blood.
Her encounter with Vincent van Gogh
One of the most remarkable details of Calment's early life is that she met Vincent van Gogh — in person. In 1888, she bumped into van Gogh, who was staying in Arles at the time. Jeanne was working in her uncle's shop when van Gogh walked in to buy some canvas.
The encounter left no great impression on her. Calment later recalled that he was "ugly as sin, had a vile temper and smelled of booze," although she said she'd forgiven him for his bad manners.
Marriage and a life of leisure
Her marriage to a wealthy distant cousin, Fernand Nicolas Calment, in 1896 meant that Jeanne didn't have to work for a living. She employed servants and never had to work; she led a leisurely lifestyle within the upper society of Arles, pursuing hobbies such as fencing, cycling, tennis, swimming, rollerskating, playing the piano, and making music with friends.
In 1898, aged 22, Jeanne gave birth to her only child, Yvonne Marie Nicolle Calment, who, in 1926, gave birth to her only child, Frédéric. Tragedy would later claim both of them. Her son-in-law Joseph died in January 1963, and her grandson Frédéric died in an automobile accident in August of the same year.
How did Jeanne Calment live so long?
This is the question that captivated scientists, journalists, and gerontologists worldwide. The honest answer is that no single factor explains it.
Source: Getty Images
French researcher Jean-Marie Robine noted that "she never did anything special to stay in good health," attributing her longevity partly to her immunity to stress. Scientists now broadly agree that her extraordinary lifespan was a rare convergence of genetics, lifestyle, and temperament.
Diet, habits, and the olive oil secret
Calment's diet was famously indulgent rather than austere. Jeanne reportedly attributed her remarkable longevity to a diet rich in olive oil, which she also rubbed into her skin daily. Although her diet was mostly healthy, she enjoyed indulging in chocolate — sometimes consuming a kilogram per week — and after her meals she would always eat dessert, drink a small glass of port wine, and smoke a cigarette.
Jeanne smoked for almost an entire century; she began aged 21 and stopped when she was 117, as using a lighter became difficult due to her worsening eyesight.
Her daily routine in the nursing home was surprisingly disciplined. After waking at 6:45 a.m. each day and praying, she did stretches in her armchair, washed herself unassisted with a flannel, and made herself fruit salads after eating her breakfast of coffee and rusks.
A stress-free mindset
Calment was known for her wit and her refusal to dwell on misfortune. Her outlook on life was encapsulated in a line that researchers and journalists frequently quoted:
"I see badly, I hear badly, and I feel bad, but everything's fine."
Catherine Levraud, head of the geriatric ward at Arles hospital, said: "Jeanne Calment ticked all the boxes for longevity, her lifestyle was flawless."
At 120, her humour was still sharp. She quipped at her 120th birthday party: "I've waited 110 years to be famous, I count on taking advantage of it."
Staying active for a century
She was free to swim, play tennis, cycle — she was still cycling until the age of 100 — and roller skate, all of which promoted excellent health. Even when confined to her care home, she adapted. She maintained an active lifestyle, including cycling until age 100 and adapting to armchair exercises.
The remarkable real estate deal that backfired
No story about Calment is complete without the viager deal. With no remaining heirs, in 1965, 90-year-old Jeanne signed a reverse mortgage with a lawyer named André-François Raffray. In exchange for ownership of her apartment, Raffray — then aged 47 — agreed to pay Jeanne 2,500 francs per month and let her live there until she died.
He died in 1995, two years before Jeanne Calment, at the age of 77, having ended up paying her twice the market value of the apartment he never got to occupy. After his death, his family was required to keep paying.
When asked about the arrangement, Calment was characteristically dry. As reported by the New York Times, she remarked:
"In life, sometimes one makes bad deals."
The age controversy: was she really 122?
Source: Getty Images
Calment's record has not gone entirely unchallenged. A theory put forward by researchers Valery Novoselov and Nikolay Zak holds that the person calling herself Jeanne Calment who died in 1997 was in fact Jeanne's daughter Yvonne — who officially died of tuberculosis in 1934. According to this theory, it was Jeanne who died in 1934, and Yvonne began impersonating her to avoid punitive French inheritance taxes.
It should be noted that Zak's research was not peer-reviewed and includes some circumstantial evidence. Jean-Marie Robine, one of the two French scientists who validated Calment's age, called the controversy "a ridiculous controversy."
Since she died at the age of 122 in 1997, Jeanne Calment has been recognised as the record-holder for longevity of the human species. Most researchers in the field have been convinced by the thorough documentation and validation carried out and published by French researchers Michel Allard and Jean-Marie Robine with the help of her doctor, Victor Lèbre.
Milestones and records
Calment did not just live long — she kept doing remarkable things. A timeline of her most notable achievements:
- 1888 — Met Vincent van Gogh in her uncle's shop in Arles.
- 1896 — Married Fernand Calment; took up fencing, cycling, tennis, and swimming.
- 1975 — Still cycling at the age of 100.
- 1988 — Became the oldest living person in the world, aged 112.
- 1990 — Appeared in the film Vincent et moi, becoming the oldest person ever to appear in a film.
- 1995 — Guinness World Records officially recognised her as the oldest person ever, aged 120.
- 1996 — Released the CD Time's Mistress, featuring her voice over rap and ambient music, aged 121.
- 4 August 1997 — Died of natural causes, aged 122 years and 164 days.
Latest news: who is the oldest woman alive today?
Calment's record remains unbroken nearly three decades after her death. The second-oldest person ever verified, Kane Tanaka of Japan, was over three years younger than Calment at death.
As of September 2026, the oldest person alive is the UK's Ethel Caterham, who recently turned 117 — an age well beyond the average life expectancy of a human. Caterham, who lives in a care home in Surrey, about 25 miles outside London, is the first British person ever to live to 117, according to Guinness World Records.
Calment's gap over today's oldest person alive stands at five years — an almost incomprehensible statistical gulf that continues to puzzle scientists studying human longevity.
FAQs
- Who is the oldest woman to ever live? Jeanne Louise Calment of France, who lived to 122 years and 164 days, holds the verified record as the oldest person — male or female — ever to have lived.
- What was the cause of Jeanne Calment's death? No precise cause of death was given for Calment, who died in the retirement home where she spent the last 12 years of her life. Death is officially recorded as natural causes.
- Who is the oldest person alive today? The oldest living person as of September 2026 is Ethel Caterham, aged 117.
- Did Jeanne Calment really meet Vincent van Gogh? Yes. In 1888, she encountered van Gogh, who was staying in Arles at the time, when he entered her uncle's shop to buy canvas.
- How did Jeanne Calment live so long? Researchers point to a combination of genetics, a low-stress temperament, and an active lifestyle. Scientists now believe her exceptional longevity was likely a rare blend of strong genetics and a resilient, low-stress attitude.
- Did Jeanne Calment smoke? Yes. She smoked for almost an entire century, beginning aged 21 and stopping at 117 only because worsening eyesight made using a lighter too difficult.
- Was Jeanne Calment's age ever disputed? Yes. Mathematician Nikolay Zak proposed that Calment's daughter Yvonne had assumed her identity in 1934, but his research was not peer-reviewed and relies on circumstantial evidence. The mainstream scientific consensus upholds Calment's record.
- What is the Calment viager deal? A viager is a type of agreement common in France that allowed elderly homeowners to receive income while continuing to live in their home. Calment's deal with lawyer André-François Raffray became famous because she outlived him by two years.
Tuko.co.ke also highlighted facts about Paul Solomon and Carolyn Warmus, whose affair and Betty Jeanne Solomon’s 1989 murder drew national attention.
Warmus has maintained her innocence since her conviction, and the latest push to test crime-scene evidence could bring new scrutiny to a case that has remained in the headlines for decades.
Source: TUKO.co.ke