The 116-year-old woman believed to be the oldest person in the world passed away on Thursday afternoon.Besse Cooper was declared the world’s oldest person in January 2011. In May 2011, Guinness World Records learned that Maria Gomes Valentin of Brazil was 48 days older.Last year on Cooper’s 115th birthday, she celebrated with friends and relatives, enjoyed two small slivers of birthday cake and was serenaded by a musician from Nashville who sang“Tennessee Waltz.Besse Cooper was the first Georgian to hold the world record. She was born in Tennessee and moved to Georgia during World War.The title of world’s oldest person now belongs to 115-year-old Dina Manfredini, of Johnston, Iowa, Young said. |