World’s oldest and tallest women both pass away

Two women, believed to be the world’s oldest and tallest, have died.

A woman listed as the world’s oldest person has died in a Georgia nursing home at 116.

Besse Cooper died peacefully in Monroe, east of Atlanta, according to her son Sidney.

He said his mother had been ill over the weekend with a stomach virus and felt better on Monday but died on Tuesday.

Mrs Cooper was declared the world’s oldest person in January, but in May, Guinness World Records learned that Brazilian Maria Gomes Valentin was 48 days older. Ms Valentin died on Jun 21.

A Guinness official says the title now belongs to 115-year-old Dina Manfredini, of Johnston, Iowa.

Meanwhile, a Chinese woman who was certified as the tallest in the world has also died.

Yao Defen, of eastern China’s Anhui province, was listed as the world’s tallest woman by Guinness World Records in 2010, when she stood 2.33m (7ft 8in) high, according to the record compiler’s website.

Yao, recorded as the third tallest woman who ever lived, was 40 when she died. Her gigantism was reportedly due to a tumour in her pituitary gland.

An Anhui newspaper said she died on Nov 13, and was already more than 2m tall when she was 15.