Marcel Meys, the oldest man in France, passed away at the age of 112, late Tuesday into Wednesday, at a hospital in Vienne after battling COVID-19. His only daughter, Nicole Bouaron, stated, "My father was still living at home, but he contracted COVID-19 and his condition worsened, and he was put on an oxygen machine. They did everything possible, but he was 112 years old," as reported by Agence France-Presse.
Meys, who was born on July 12, 1909, lived alone in his home and was admitted to the hospital on December 2. Bouaron noted that "he spent his life happily because he lived at home. He was fully mentally capable. He lived alone but received good care with the help of home care teams." The former paramedic, who lived through both world wars, had been widowed since 1998, was hard of hearing, and was nearly blind.
Bouaron recounted that her father "worked a lot and traveled little," enjoyed playing Scrabble, did not engage in sports, but did walk a bit and played petanque, noting that he was "a bit reclusive, but he loved family." Meys became the oldest man in France on October 5, following the death of Jules Thibaud at the age of 112 in his home in Fort-de-France on the French island of Martinique. There is no official body that grants the title of oldest person in France; it is based on a list compiled by Laurent Toussaint, who has become an expert in the field of centenarians.
Toussaint explained to AFP that "Meys would have become the oldest man in France ever in about two weeks," pointing out that Thibaud died at the age of 112 years and 171 days, while Meys lived for 112 years and 156 days. He added, "There is now one man and 33 women in France who are over 110 years old, which is the threshold to be considered the oldest person." There are four men aged 109, who are on the verge of entering this exclusive group. Toussaint noted that "more men are reaching this category."
After Meys' death, it is likely that a man from Nice will become the oldest person in France, having celebrated his 111th birthday on December 6, according to Toussaint. The oldest living French woman, Sister André, who is 117 years old, recovered from COVID-19 after contracting it in January 2021.
