The world's oldest man, Spaniard Saturnino de la Fuente Garcia, has died at the age of 112 years and 341 days, the Guinness World Records said Wednesday.

He had been declared the oldest living man in the world when he turned 112 years and 211 days old, the London-based organization said, adding that he was due to celebrate his 113th birthday next month.

Owing to his diminutive stature, the 1.5-meter (4.9-foot) tall Spaniard, who was born in Ponte Castro, Leon, on Feb. 11, 1909, avoided being drafted to fight in the 1936 Spanish Civil War and instead ran a successful shoe business.

He had seven children, 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

According to the Guinness website, the oldest person ever recorded was France's Jeanne Louise Calment who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days, having been born in February 1875.

According to reports, his worst experience was in 1937, when he survived under the rubble of a house that had been completely destroyed by the crash of a German Condor Legion fighter plane during the Spanish Civil War. The Condor Legion supported the putschist leader and later dictator Francisco Franco.

The trained cobbler and long-time owner of a shoe factory had been a die-hard football fan, former player and honorary member of the Puente Castro FC club.

"Pepino," as de la Fuente was called by relatives and friends, was also the first person to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in the province of Leon at the end of 2020.