Jimmy Carter, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning 39th president of the United States who transformed his legacy from one-term commander-in-chief to beloved humanitarian, died on Sunday, Dec. 29 at the record-breaking age of 100.
His son James E. Carter III confirmed that he died at home in Plains, Ga., per The Washington Post.
Carter’s wife of nearly eight decades, Rosalynn Carter, died 13 months earlier at the age of 96. He made his final public appearance in November 2023 to mourn her death.
Carter is survived by his four children with Rosalynn: Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy. In March 2019, Carter became the longest-lived American president who also enjoyed the lengthiest post-White House life. His and Rosalynn’s 77-year marriage was the longest of any first couple.
The Carter Center announced in February 2023 that the former president had been moved to hospice care following “a series of short hospital stays,” adding that he “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family.”
“This is an important part of his faith journey, and it’s one that you don’t get to experience at any other time in your life except for the very end,” Jason said. “And so in that way, I think this has been a really meaningful time for him, and it’s been a really reflective time for him.”
Jason told Southern Living in June that Carter was no longer awake every day, adding that his grandfather was “experiencing the world as best he can as he continues through this process.”
Although President Carter contended with a string of health struggles over the past decade, including a cancer bout in 2015, he remained physically active into his 90s — continuing to help build houses for Habitat for Humanity, attending regular church services and teaching Sunday school. [Excerpt from PEOPLE Magazine]
