GREAT FALLS, Mont. — The world’s oldest man died Thursday at age 114 in Great Falls, Montana.
Walter Breuning passed away at 3:30pm local time after he was hospitalized at Benefis on March 31 with an undisclosed illness, KRTV reported.
Born on September 21, 1896 in Melrose, Minnesota, Breuning had been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest man since 2009.
He inherited the title after the passing of Englishman Henry Allingham in July 2009.
Breuning came to Great Falls in 1918 with the expansion of the railroad and worked with the Great Northern Railway for more than 50 years.
US Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who honored Breuning on the floor of the US Senate on his 114th birthday, said, “I was honored to know Walter. He was a real Montanan: thrifty, healthy, hard-working, and he had true Montana grit. He had a great sense of humor and he always stayed young at heart. Walter will be missed by Montanans and people around the world. Walter’s memory will remind us to always live each day to the fullest.”
Breuning is the sixth man documented to have reached the age of 114. About 70 women have been recorded as reaching the milestone.