[3][4] In his early youth, his family moved to Los Paujiles in San José de Bolívar, Táchira, to work in agriculture.

[3][4] In 1938, he married Ediofina del Rosario García (1916–1997), and they had six sons and five daughters in total, the first of whom, José Juan (1939–2013), was born in Los Paujiles.

[5] His wife died in 1997 after nearly 60 years of marriage, and thereafter his home and family were mainly cared for by his daughter Edilia del Carmen until her death in 2006.

[8][9][2] Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro paid tribute to him on X (Twitter),[10][9] and Omas Rojas, mayor of San José de Bolívar, declared three days of mourning and for all flags to be lowered at half mast.

[5] When declared the oldest living man on 17 May 2022, it was reported that he lacked any notable health issues, and was very lucid, able to recall several aspects of his childhood.

[6][17] On 18 January 2022, upon the death of 112-year-old Saturnino de la Fuente García of Spain,[18][19] Pérez became the world's oldest man.

[17][26] This occasion was once again marked by a large celebration with many ecclesiastical elements, as well as visits from longevity researchers, local media, and town representatives.

However, Shi's age claim was not yet verified at the time, so initially John Tinniswood (26 August 1912 – 25 November 2024) was thought to be the successor to Pérez.