Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, wife of former president Jimmy Carter, died Sunday at 96 years old just days after entering hospice.
The Carter Center announced Friday that she had joined her husband in hospice care at their Georgia residence. In May 2023, her family confirmed that she had been diagnosed with dementia.
“She and President Carter are spending time with each other and their family,”Jason Carter, the Carters’ grandson, wrote in the Friday statement. “The Carter family continues to ask for privacy and remains grateful for the outpouring of love and support.”
Having celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary in July, the Carters were the longest-married presidential couple. In their retired years, the pair founded the Carter Center with the mission of “resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, and preventing diseases.” They had a very strong partnership, with each considering the other their closest confidant and influence on their life.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” former president Carter said in a statement. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
Carter, who turned 99 in October, was admitted into hospice in February after he declined to receive additional medical intervention for his illnesses, namely metastatic melanoma that had spread to his brain and liver.
While serving as first lady from 1977 to 1981, Rosalynn Carter was nicknamed the “Steel Magnolia” by the press for her kind demeanor yet tenacity with her various political projects. From 1977 to 1978, she served as the Honorary Chairperson of the President’s Commission on Mental Health. Rosalynn Carter also worked in cultivating the performing arts. She invited to the White House prominent classical artists from around the world.
With the Carter Center, the couple dedicated their sunset years to humanitarian work, visiting sensitive international locations and crisis-affected areas such as Cuba, Sudan, and North Korea.