Oldest person in U.S. dies at 113

CLEARWATER, Fla., April 1 (UPI) -- Elsie Thompson, the oldest person in the United States, has died at her home in Clearwater, Fla., her family said. She was 113.

Thompson, who was born April 5, 1899, in Pittsburgh, died March 21 of natural causes, the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times reported.

"She had such a big heart," her son, George Thompson, said Sunday. "She was such a large person."

When Thompson turned 111, she revealed her secret to longevity. "I love people," she said.

Thompson, whose husband Ron Thompson died in 1986, is survived by her son and his wife, Marlo, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., three grandsons and one granddaughter.