The woman recorded as the world's oldest person by the Guinness World Records has died in the Unites States at age 116. 

Besse Cooper died peacefully in a nursing home in the U.S. state of Georgia.

Her son Sidney Cooper said his mother, who taught school until her first child was born in 1929, had four children. All of them survive her and are in good health.

Besse Cooper was first certified as the world's oldest person by Guinness in January 2011.

The title was taken from her for a few months when it was discovered that Brazilian-born Maria Gomes Valentim was 48 days older.

But Guinness gave the title back to Cooper after Gomes Valentim died in June 2011.