Talib Omar, who is believed to be 130 years old, recently succumbed to COVID-19 as Malaysia’s, and probably even the world’s oldest person to ever lived.
Photo via Berita Harian
His daughter, Kimri has been attempting to put to rest questions raised by netizens about her father’s dubious age and indeed confirmed that her father is 130 years old based on a document he had.
“Yes, he was indeed 130 years old based on a document he had. My father was still healthy and even visited me in Kota Kinabalu last Hari Raya,” she told the New Straits Times.
She added: “However, he did not die yesterday as reported but on November 3rd when I came to visit him at Taman Telipok Ria.”
Kimri, who is the third of five children said that Talib was living with relatives, as she works in the state capital and was unable to care for him.
On the day her father died, she had helped him to sit up and drink milk, “Not long after that, he was gone, just like that, while seated. We informed the police about the death. Just after the swab test was taken did we find out that my father was infected with COVID-19.”
Taman Telipok Ria has been put under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) until 10 December.
Talib’s age, which indicated that he was born in the 19th century raised questions among netizens whether it had been wrongly reported.
According to the Guinness World of Records, the oldest person who has ever lived was Jeanne Louise Calment, who died at the age of 122 years and 165 days in 1977.
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
