JIMMY Carter is the oldest living president, after being elected to office in 1976 and serving in the White House from 1977 to 1981.
Here’s more about Mr Carter and his remarkable life in politics and beyond.
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Jimmy Carter is the oldest living former US President at the age of 97 Credit: Reuters 5
He was left needing facial stitches after a fall in 2019 Credit: AP:Associated Press Who is Jimmy Carter?
James Earl Carter Jr – known affectionately as Jimmy – was the 39th President of the United States, serving as one term in office from 1977 to 1981.
The Democrat stalwart served as a Georgia State Senator from 1963 to 1967 and as the 76th Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.
Mr Carter remained active in public life after leaving the White House, and in 2002 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in co-founding the Carter Center.
He paid tribute to his former Vice President Walter Mondale after his death, aged 93, on April 19, 2021, hailing him as "the best vice president in our country's history."
The young Jimmy Carter was raised in a wealthy family of peanut farmers in the southern town of Plains, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
He went on to join the US Navy where he served on the submarines.
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Jimmy Carter, seen here with his wife Rosalyn, served as US President from 1977 to 1981 Credit: AFP or licensors
Following his father’s death, he returned home to take over the family peanut business.
As he went on to expand the business, Carter was motivated to oppose the political climate of racial segregation and support the growing civil rights movement.
In the early 1960s, he became an activist within the Democratic Party and made his first foray into the world of politics.
Carter was sworn in as the 76th Governor of Georgia on January 12, 1971.
He declared in his inaugural speech that "the time of racial discrimination is over. ... 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."
President Carter lives a relatively modest life in his old two bedroom house in his Georgia hometown.
He lives with his wife, Rosalynn, making income from his 33 books and the $210,700 annual pension all former presidents receive.
How old is Jimmy Carter?
Aged 97, he was born in Plains, Georgia on October 1, 1924, and is the oldest living former US president.
In his later years, he has been treated for metastatic melanoma that had spread from his liver to his brain.
After undergoing four months of immunotherapy in 2015 at the age of 91, he revealed a brain scan no longer showed signs of cancer.
In 2019, he was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after a series of falls.
Mr Carter has made arrangements for his burial in a plot of and in front of his home in Plains, Georgia.
The former US President paid tribute to Prince Philip following his death, aged 99, on April 9, 2021.
On April 29, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited the Carters.
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Rosalynn and Jimmy married in secret on July 7, 1946 in Plains, Georgia Credit: Getty - Contributor
Who is his wife Rosalynn?
Jimmy’s wife Eleanor Rosalynn Carter was born on August 18, 1927 and served as the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981.
The former First Lady, who has been married to her husband for 74 years, has been a leading advocate for numerous causes throughout her lifetime.
She was politically active during her White House years, sitting in on Cabinet and policy meetings as well as serving as her husband's closest adviser.
Mrs Carter also served as an envoy abroad, with posts in Latin America.
She and Jimmy first dated in 1945 while he was attending the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis.
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Mr Carter, see here at George HM Bush's funeral, is the 41st US President Credit: The Mega Agency
It's believed Rosalynn had a crush on him after seeing him in his navy uniform.
She agreed to marry her husband-to-be in February 1946 when she went to Annapolis with his parents.
The two scheduled their marriage to take place on July 7, 1946 in Plains and kept the arrangement secret.
The couple had four children: John William "Jack" (b. 1947), James Earl "Chip" III (b. 1950), Donnel Jeffrey "Jeff" (b. 1952), and Amy Lynn (b. 1967).
Due to Jimmy's military duties, the first three were born in different parts of the country and away from Georgia.
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They returned to Georgia when Jimmy’s father was dying.
After purchasing their first television set, the couple became fans of the New York Yankees, and claimed they never went to bed arguing with each other.
Following their time in the White House, the couple established the Carter Center, a non-profit organisation in Atlanta.
The couple were unable to attend Joe Biden's inauguration, the first time they have missed the ceremonies since Mr Carter was sworn in as president in 1977.
Rosalynn is a member of the Center's Board of Trustees and participates in many of the Center's programs, but gives special attention to the Mental Health Program.
Upon the death of Barbara Bush on April 17, 2018, 91-year-old Carter became the oldest living former First Lady. She is now 94.
U.S. presidents？ ？Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama attend concert benefiting hurricane relief efforts