A former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, has died. He was aged 100.
The 39th US president and founder of the Carter Foundation, died on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at his home in Plains, the town where he was born in Georgia.
He was surrounded by his family, a statement said, adding: “He was 100, the longest-lived president in US history.”
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said Chip Carter, the son of the former president, in an official statement released through The Carter Center.
“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 honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”
Mr Carter, a Democrat, became the 39th US president when he defeated former president Gerald Ford in 1976.
The Georgia native 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.
When his wife, Rosalynn Carter, died at the age of 96, in November 2023, the former president went to the memorial service held in her honour in Atlanta, Georgia.
