 Jeanne Louise Calment (2/21/1875 – 8/4/1997) had the longest
confirmed lifespan (122 years and 164 days) for any human being in history. Her
lifespan has been thoroughly documented by scientific study; more records have
been produced to verify her age than for any other case.
She was 14 when the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889, and had an extremely
active life, taking up fencing at age 85, and was still riding a bicycle at age
100. Her brother lived to the age of 97, her father 94, and her mother lived to
the age of 86.
She married her second cousin Fernand Calment in 1896, and survived him (who
died 1942, four years before their 50th wedding anniversary), her daughter
(Yvonne, who died 1934) and her grandson (who died 1963 in a road
accident)!
In 1965, with no living heirs, Jeanne Calment signed a deal, common in France,
to sell her condominium apartment "en viager" to lawyer Francois Raffray, then
47. Raffray agreed to pay a monthly sum until she passed away, an agreement
sometimes called a "reverse mortgage". She was then 90, and the value of the
apartment was equal to ten years of payments.
Unfortunately for Raffray, not only did she survive more than thirty years, but
he died first, in December 1995 at the age of 77. His widow had to continue the
payments.
In 1985, Jeanne Calment moved into a nursing home, after living on her own until
age 110. However, she did not gain international fame until 1988, when the
centenary of Van Gogh's visit to Arles provided an occasion to meet reporters.
She said that in her younger years, she met Vincent van Gogh, later describing him as "dirty, badly
dressed and disagreeable."
On 10/17/1995 Jeanne Calment reached 120 years 238 days to become the Guinness
"oldest person ever," surpassing Shigechiyo Izumi of Japan (whose claim to 120
years 237 days is subject to some doubt).
At the age of 114, she appeared briefly in the film Vincent and Me as herself,
making her the oldest actress ever. A French language documentary film about her
life, entitled Beyond 120 Years with Jeanne Calment, was released in 1995.
Though blind, nearly deaf and in a wheelchair, Jeanne Calment remained spirited
and mentally sharp until the end. That was clear to those who attended her 121st
birthday in February 1996, when she released her CD, "Time's Mistress," which
featured her reminiscing to a score of rap and other tunes.
Internationally, researchers are fascinated with Jeanne Calment for both her
longevity and her vitality. "She never did anything special to stay in good
health," said French researcher Jean-Marie Robine. They attribute her longevity
to her immunity to stress. She once said "If you can't do anything about it, don't worry about it”.
Calment herself credited an occasional glass of Port vine and a diet rich in
olive oil for her longevity. She also recommended laughter as a recipe for
longevity and jokes that "God must have forgotten me." For skin care, she
recommends olive oil and a dab of make-up. "All my life I've put olive oil on my
skin and then just a puff of powder. I could never wear mascara, I cried too often when I laughed."
She used to ate two pounds of chocolate per week until her doctor persuaded her
to give up sweets at the age of 119. She quit smoking only at 119, but her
doctor said her abstinence was due to pride rather than health - she was too
blind to light up herself, and hated asking someone to do it for her.
The last time she appeared on national television was on her 121st birthday. She
was visibly frailer than she had been the year before, did not focus due to
failing eyesight, and could not hear much of what was said to her. The
newspapers later quoted one remark: "Everyone is gone and I am so fortunate to
have the memories of my dear father. I think of him every day."
Her last birthday in February, 1997, was celebrated quietly in the maison de
retraite. By this time she was confined to a wheelchair, had become blind, and
was almost totally deaf. The only person she could understand was the director
of the home who, elderly himself, had deferred his retirement so that he could care for
Madame Calment.
She died on the 8/4/1997. The media descended on the little town of
Arles. The funeral was very private, limited to the citizenry of Arles. As one Arlesien said, "The newspapers and the televisions, they bothered her during her
last years. Now she is at peace. She is ours and we will say goodbye to her ourselves."
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Quotations
Jeanne Calment was as alert as a hummingbird and shows no signs of senile
dementia. She was well known and liked for her tart wit. Some of her famous
quotations are listed below:
"I've waited 110 years to be famous, I count on taking advantage of it,"
she quipped at her 120th birthday party.
Also on her 120th birthday, when asked what kind of future did she expect, she
replied "A very short one."
At 121, Jeanne Calment gave a hint as to how she stayed sharp. "I dream,
I think, I go over my life," she said, "I never get bored."
Getting used to growing media attention with every year that passes, she quips:
"I wait for death… and journalists."
"When you're 117, you see if you remember everything!" she rebuked an
interviewer once.
Her birthdays were a sort of family holiday in Arles, where all the people of
Arles gathered around their "Jeanne D’Arles". In one of this party, somebody
took leave by telling her, "Until next year, perhaps," she retorted: "I don't
see why not! You don't look so bad to me."
She may be most famous in France, where she was the "doyenne of humanity", for
her many bons mots, including "I've never had but one wrinkle, and I'm
sitting on it."
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