World's oldest man Walter Bruening dies at 114

Walter Bruening, a retired railworker who was the world's oldest man, has died in the US state of Montana at the age of 114.

Breuning died Thursday of natural causes at a Great Falls hospital, Stacia Kirby, spokeswoman for the Rainbow Senior Living retirement home where he has lived since 1980, told local media.

Breuning attributed his long life to eating only two meals a day for the past 35 years.

"I think you should push back from the table when you're still hungry," he told the Great Falls Tribune newspaper in 2009.

"You get in the habit of not eating at night, and you realize how good you feel. If you could just tell people not to eat so darn much," he said.

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend and a great Montanan," state Governor Brian Schweitzer said in a statement, reported the Tribune.

"Walter taught me that all things in moderation will help lead to a long life; that hard work and a modest living are enough for a happy life and most importantly that giving back to others is good for the soul."

Bruening was born in the town of Melrose, Minnesota, on September 21, 1896, and moved to Great Falls in 1918, finding work with the Great Northern Railway.

He was officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records 2011 edition as the world's oldest living man, after inheriting the title from England's Henry Allingham, who passed away at age 113 in July 2009.

The record has now passed to Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, who turns 114 on Tuesday.