Riacho dos Machados, Minas Gerais, Brazil — Álvaro José de Souza, the claimant for the title of the world’s oldest living man, passed away on July 20th, at the claimed age of 114 years, 151 days.
Álvaro José de Souza was born on the Paraíso farm, in the municipality of Riacho dos Machados, Minas Gerais, as the eighth of 11 children born to parents Antonino Felício de Souza and Ana Rosa de Souza. He had seven older siblings—José, Otávio José, Olímpio José, Maria, Sebastião, Orácio José, and Antônio José—and three younger siblings—Júlia Rosa, Geraldo José, and Abílio José.
At the claimed age of 114. (Source: Courtesy of the family.)
His claimed date of birth was 20 February 1910. He worked as a cowboy, primarily as a cattle driver, transporting cattle throughout the state of Minas Gerais. On one occasion, he led a herd of 1,200 oxen from Pedra Azul to Curvelo. After 46 days of traveling, upon arriving, the cowboys entered the gate of a large farm. There, the young Álvaro met Judith Alves, a young woman who would later become his first wife. He was married twice, and had 17 children in total. With great effort, he managed to privately hire teachers from other cities to come to his home starting in 1945, where they provided education for his children. Local boys and girls also came to study with his children in a large room. Later, he bought a house in Riacho dos Machados, moved his wife and children there, and enrolled his younger children in public schools. He would spend the week in the countryside, engaged in rural activities, and weekends in the city with his family.
Pictured in an undated photo.
(Source: Vittor Policarpo)
Three of his children were deceased by his claimed 112th birthday. At the time, he had 44 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren, and 14 great-great-grandchildren.
At the claimed age of 114. (Source: Courtesy of the family.)
According to him, the secret to longevity is to eat well, sleep well, and stop complaining about life. One of his daughters also attributed his longevity to his lifelong habit of drinking white wine every day before dinner. At the age of 100, he was still very healthy and had required medical care only a few times in his life up to that point. When he did need to attend a medical appointment, he would jokingly say, “What I have is old age, and they haven’t invented any medicine for that yet.” He was affectionately known by family and friends as “Seu Alves.”
On 2 April 2024, following the passing of Venezuelan Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, he became a candidate for the title of the world’s oldest living man. Extensive research was conducted with the assistance of his family, and partial documentation was located. Although the validation process was never completed, it was highly likely that he was indeed a supercentenarian at the time of his passing.
LongeviQuest sends our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Álvaro José de Souza.
