Jimmy Carter — the 39th President of the United States, a renowned philanthropist and a Nobel Peace Prize winner — has died.
The news of his death was confirmed by his son, Jimmy Carter III also known as Chip to the Washington Post on Sunday.
The Carter Center tells TMZ … Jimmy passed away at home surrounded by family. He was the longest living former president in history when he passed away.
In February 2023, it was revealed Carter was entering hospice care after being in and out of the hospital. His grandson also gave an update on the ex-Prez’s condition, noting that Carter was no longer able to stay awake every day.
His grandkid did say, however, that Carter was still able to crack jokes with his loved ones at his home in Plains, GA … so it sounds like he was still in good spirits up until the end.
President Biden said the former President asked him to deliver his eulogy.
Carter’s dealt with several health issues over the past few years, starting with a cancer diagnosis in 2015. He suffered a broken hip in May 2019, and that same year had a procedure to relieve pressure on his brain due to internal bleeding from recent falls.
A Georgia man through and through, Carter’s political career began as a Georgia State Senator in the ’60s. He was elected Governor of the state in 1970 as a Democrat, and during his inauguration speech, he declared … “The time of racial discrimination is over,” adding, “No poor, rural, weak, or Black person should ever have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity for an education, a job or simple justice.”
Carter’s words came as a shock to many voters — including segregationists who supported him — especially after he ran a conservative campaign. Yet, it marked the beginning of Carter speaking out against racist politics.
Near the end of his time as Governor, Carter announced his candidacy for U.S. President, and although he started out as a long shot … he quickly became the Democratic front-runner and defeated President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election.
His election came just weeks after Playboy published what became a very famous interview in which then-candidate Carter admitted, “I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.”
While the remark was considered controversial at the time, it’s certainly tame compared to what we now tend to know about politicians’ private lives.
In any event, Carter took office in 1977 and served one term as president.
His tenure is remembered as a time of economic difficulty, as well as for the energy crisis — however, he’s also credited with brokering a historic peace agreement.
In 1979, Carter brought Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin together at Camp David. They ended up signing a peace treaty that ended decades of war, and made Egypt the first Arab state to recognize Israel.
His final year in office was marred by the Iran hostage crisis … which contributed to Ronald Reagan beating him in the 1980 election.
After losing to Reagan, Carter remained very active in the public eye and diplomacy. He founded his famed Carter Center in Atlanta in 1982 to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering … which led to him being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work.
Carter and his late wife, Rosalynn, were also well-known for their work with Habitat for Humanity.
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Couple more fun facts — Carter served in the Navy, which is when he and Rosalynn started dating. They wed in 1946 and were the longest-married presidential couple … more than 77 years!
Jimmy was also the first U.S. president to be born in a hospital … of course, it was a hospital in Plains, Georgia.
Carter is survived by his 4 children and numerous grandchildren. Rosalynn predeceased the president … passing away at age 96 in November 2023, days after entering hospice care.
Rosalynn had been diagnosed with dementia, with the Carter Center confirming the diagnosis 6 months before her death.
Despite his ailing health, Carter attended the former First Lady’s funeral, wearing a blanket with her face on it at the time.
