[UPDATE] One for the Records: 104-Year-Old Chicago Woman Dies Days After Skydiving

Dorothy Hoffner, the 104-year-old Chicago woman who went skydiving, could make history after the daredevil stunt that could put her in the Guinness World Records for being the oldest person to even jump from a plane.

The elderly woman's close friend, Joe Conant, said that Hoffner was found dead on Monday morning by Brookdale Lake View senior living community employees. Conant added that Hoffner died while sleeping on Sunday night.

Oldest Skydiver in the World

Conant is a nurse and said he met his close friend, whom he called Grandma at her request, several years prior while working as a caregiver for another resident at the senior living center. He noted that Hoffner had amazing energy and remained mentally sharp despite her age.

In a statement, he said that Hoffner was "indefatigable" and just kept moving forward, adding that she was not someone who would simply take naps in the afternoon or not show up for any function, dinner, or anything else, as per KAKE.

Hoffner made a tandem skydive on Oct. 1 that could put her in the record books as the oldest skydiver in the world. She achieved This feat by jumping out of a plane from 13,500 feet at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, which is located 85 miles southwest of Chicago.

Speaking to a cheering crowd moments after landing, Hoffner said, "age is just a number." The skydive was not her first time jumping from a plane, which she had already done when she was 100.

Conant added that he was working through some paperwork to ensure that Guinness World Records would certify his close friend posthumously as the world's oldest skydiver. However, he said that he expects the process to take some time. Currently, the record was set in May 2022 by 103-year-old Linnea Ingegard Larsson of Sweden.

A 104-Year-Old Skydiver

A spokesperson who represented Hoffner said that they were honored that the 104-year-old's skydiving experience was able to serve as an incredible cap to her "exciting, well-lived life." According to Fox News, Hoffner's recent skydive lasted seven minutes, including the time that her parachute's slow descent gently put her on the ground.

Hoffner's friends congratulated her after she landed while clinging to the harness over her narrow shoulders. Someone also brought over the walker that the 104-year-old woman left before she went on the plane. She said it was a delightful and wonderful experience as she planned to take a hot-air balloon ride next.

Conant also said that Hoffner was not excited about all of the attention from news media last week before her skydive. However, she said the attention had grown on her because she saw it as an opportunity to meet new people she would never have known.

During interviews with reporters, Hoffner asked them about their lives and appeared uninterested in talking about her upbringing in Chicago and the early 20th century. It was a time when World War I had ended and an influenza pandemic was spreading, said the New York Times.