Former US President Jimmy Carter has died
Former US President Jimmy Carter has died, his foundation the Carter Center has announced.
Carter served as the 39th president from 1977 until 1981. He was aged 100, making him the longest-lived president in US history.
During his tenure as president Carter faced a spate of foreign policy challenges and the Democrat was defeated in his re-election bid by Ronald Reagan.
Last year it was announced that he would receive hospice care at home, following the end of his medical treatment. Carter had been suffering health issues, including a melanoma that spread to his liver and brain.
In a post on social media, the Carter Center says: "Our founder, former US President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia."
Carter passed away peacefully on Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by family.
His son, Chip Carter, says: “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.
“My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honouring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”
He is survived by his four children: Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy, along with 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Smith Carter, who passed away on 19 November last year, and one grandchild, the Carter Center says.
Democrat Jimmy Carter, who was US president from 1977 to 1981, lived longer than any other president after leaving the White House.
His humanitarian efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize after his time in office.
We’ll be reflecting on his life and sharing reactions to the news of his death.
The former president was born on 1 October 1924 as James Earl Carter Jr, in the small town of Plains, Georgia. He was the eldest of four children. His father ran a family peanut business, and his mother, Lillian, was a registered nurse.
In high school, he was a star basketball player and then spent seven years in the US Navy - during which time he married Rosalynn.
Carter was reportedly devastated when he had to resign from the US Navy when his father died in 1953, and he was forced to run the family’s struggling farm. But he managed to turn the business around, becoming quite wealthy in the process.
