World's oldest person dies in L.A. at 115 [Updated]
The world’s oldest person died today at a Los Angeles hospital at age 115.
Gertrude Baines passed away at 7:25 a.m. at Western Convalescent Hospital, director of admissions Juan Valencia confirmed.
[Updated at 9:34 a.m.: Our full obituary has been posted. Here's an excerpt:
Gertrude Baines, a former maid who was born before the discovery of penicillin and was the world's oldest person, died today in Los Angeles. She was 115.
She died at Western Convalescent Hospital, according to the hospital's administrator, Emma Camanag.
The Shellman, Ga., native, whose father was believed to have been a slave, was born April 6, 1894, when the U.S. flag had 44 stars and Grover Cleveland was president. She married at a young age and later divorced. Her only child, a daughter, died of typhoid at 18. Baines had outlived every one of her relatives.
Read the rest: Gertrude Baines, the world's oldest person, dies at 115]
-- Corina Knoll
Photo: Melvin Daignault, left, wishes Gertrude Baines a happy 115th birthday at Western Convalescent Hospital in L.A. on April 6. Credit: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times
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