Adda was born as Marcelle Madeleine Samuel dit Albert on 3 June 1905 in Paris. The street of her birth, Rue de Montpensier, is in the first arrondissement of the city. Her father ran a workshop putting feathers in hats.

Adda studied for and passed her Baccalauréat qualification. She married in 1932 and had three children, including son Jacques, who later became a pharmacist. After she was widowed in 1968, she worked as a cashier at the Panthéon and the Notre-Dame. She also taught French to foreign children.

On 1 June 2012, two days before her 107th birthday, Adda moved into a nursing home in the commune of Le Mesnil-Saint-Denis. She had lived independently at her home in Paris’ fifth arrondissement for many years.

As a supercentenarian, Adda enjoyed peace and quiet, as well as spending time with her children and grandchildren. She died on 22 March 2017 at the age of 111 years, 292 days. She was among the top 10 oldest residents of France.

Biographical information sourced from Chemins d’Espérance