World's oldest person dies at 115

Gertrude Baines, the world's oldest known person who once quipped she had won the genetic lottery, died at the age of 115 on Friday in a nursing home.

Baines likely suffered a heart attack, but an autopsy will be conducted to confirm the cause of death, said her longtime physician, Dr. Charles Witt.

Born in 1894 in Shellman, Georgia, Baines claimed the title of the world's oldest living person when a 115-year-old woman, Maria de Jesus, died in Portugal in January.

The oldest person in the world is now Kama Chinen, 114, who lives in Japan, according to L Stephen Coles of the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks claims of extreme old age. Chinen was born on 10th May 1895, Coles said.

The oldest person who has ever lived is Jeanne-Louise Calment, according to Coles. She was 122 when she died on 4th Aug 1997, in Arles, France.

Baines worked as a maid in Ohio State University dormitories until her retirement and has lived at the Western Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles for more than 10 years.