Former US president Jimmy Carter dies

Former US president Jimmy Carter has died aged 100.

The Carter Center said its founder, who was the oldest living former US president, died peacefully at his home in Plains, the town where he was born in Georgia, on Sunday afternoon.

He was surrounded by his family, a statement said, adding: “He was 100, the longest-lived president in US history.”

Mr Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who was president between 1977 and 1981, is survived by his children Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

His son Chip Carter said: “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.”

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Tributes to ‘extraordinary leader’

In February last year it was revealed Mr Carter was receiving hospice care and would “spend his remaining time at home with his family”.

He had decided against “additional medical intervention” following a series of brief hospital stays, the Carter Center said in a statement at the time.

The 39th US president

Mr Carter, a Democrat, became the 39th US president when he defeated former president Gerald Ford in 1976.

The Georgia native and former peanut farmer served a single term as president and was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.

The final year of his administration was dominated by a hostage crisis in Iran, when 52 Americans were taken captive at the US embassy in November 1979.

On the day he left office, 20 January 1981, the hostages were released. Carter had continued negotiations behind the scenes, even after his election defeat.

In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to avoid conflict around the world.

Mr Carter conducted diplomatic missions into his 80s and was involved in building houses for the poor well into his 90s.

“My faith demands – this is not optional – my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Mr Carter once said.

When his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, died aged 96, in November 2023, the former president went to the memorial service held in her honour in Atlanta, Georgia.

He wore a blue and white blanket which was embroidered with her face.

Earlier this year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public service.

‘An extraordinary leader’

The Carter Center said there will be opportunities for the public to pay their respects in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington DC before a private interment in Plains, while final arrangements for his state funeral are still being made.

Former president Bill Clinton and his wife, the ex-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, led tributes to Mr Carter, who they first met during his campaign in 1975, giving “thanks for his long, good life”.

“Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others – until the very end,” they said in a statement.

White House incumbent Joe Biden said: “Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian.”

President-elect Donald Trump said the challenges Mr Carter faced as president “came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans”.

“For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude,” he said in a statement.

World leaders also paid tribute, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who wrote: “Jimmy Carter defended the rights of the most vulnerable people and tirelessly led the fight for peace.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “I was very sorry to hear of President Carter’s passing and I would like to pay tribute to his decades of selfless public service.”