Netizens, including Filipinos, are sharing and interacting with a Facebook (FB) Reel falsely stating that a 399-year-old woman recently passed away. There is no one on record who has yet reached that age and the person in the video was actually a 109-year-old man.
“She’s 399 years old | Ngayon ko lang nalaman wala na pala siya (I just learned that she recently passed away) | The oldest woman in the world,” the in-video text of the Jan. 12 Reel posted by FB page All Of Me claimed.
The video actually shows 109-year-old monk Luang Pho Yai from Thailand – real name Phrakhru Akha Chanthasaro and called Luang Ta (Venerable Grandfather), who died on March 22, 2022.
Jeanne Louise Calment from France, who lived for 127 years and 164 days, has been officially declared by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest woman who has ever lived.
Multiple fact check organizations previously debunked false reports depicting Luang Pho Yai as a 200-year-old or a 163-year-old man.
As of January 2023, 115-year-old Maria Branyas Morera from Spain is recognized as the oldest living person.
Cursory and reverse image search confirms that photos of the alleged 399-year-old-woman originally came from the following media posted by Luang’s granddaughter, Auy Auyaree, on Instagram and TikTok:
- A TikTok video posted on Feb. 1, 2022, showing Luang drinking water through a non-needled medical syringe
- An Instagram photo posted on Feb. 8, 2022, showing Luang lying on a bed with his mouth wide open
- An Instagram photo posted on Feb. 21, 2022, showing Luang seated on a wheelchair
- An Instagram photo posted on Feb. 21, 2022, showing Luang lying on a bed and receiving gifts
- A TikTok video posted on Feb. 2, 2022, showing Luang wearing a dark yellow bonnet and sweater
TikTok user @briar_cares first uploaded the erroneous clip on March 1, 2022, 21 days before Luang actually died. FB page All Of Me (created on April 9, 2019) then reposted the clip as part of a series of viral TikTok clips. The two videos garnered a total of 54.94 million interactions.
Have you seen any dubious claims, photos, memes, or online posts that you want us to verify? Fill out this reader request form.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)