Former US President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100. He held the presidency between 1977 and 1981.
Since mid-February, Carter had been in hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia - the same small town where he was born and where he once ran a peanut farm before becoming governor of the Peach State and running for the White House.
Carter died "peacefully" at his home in Plains, "surrounded by his family," the Carter Center read in a statement.
"My father was a hero not only to me, but to all who believe in peace, human rights and selfless love," said Chip Carter, the former president's son.
Carter is the oldest living former American leader and the country's longest-lived president, a result that seemed unlikely back in 2015 when the Democrat from the South revealed he had brain cancer.
During his single term, Carter bet on human rights and social justice, enjoying a strong first two years that included brokering a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt called the Camp David Accords.
His administration faced numerous difficulties - the most serious being the taking of American hostages in Iran and the disastrous failed attempt to rescue 52 captured Americans in 1980. He was also criticised for his handling of the oil crisis.
In November of that year, Republican challenger Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in the election. | BGNES
.jpg)
