BEVERLY HILLS, CA – APRIL 20: Former first lady Rosalynn Carter speaks at the Death Penalty Focus Awards, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, on April 20, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
1:40 PM – Sunday, November 19, 2023
Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady of the United States, has died at 96.
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On Sunday, Carter died in her home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96 after she was receiving hospice care at her home since Friday.
Carter had been living with dementia and suffering from declining health for several months.
The former first lady had been married for 77 years to former President Jimmy Carter, who was the 39th president of the U.S.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” President Carter said. “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.”
The Carter Center, the couple’s human rights organization, had stated that she had been diagnosed with dementia in May.
“She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones,” the group said.
Throughout her public career, Rosalynn dedicated herself to a number of social causes, including initiatives that promoted access to healthcare, human rights, social justice, and the needs of the elderly.
“Twenty-five years ago, we did not dream that people might someday be able actually to recover from mental illnesses,” Rosalynn said at a mental health symposium in 2003. “Today it is a very real possibility.”
“For one who has worked on mental health issues as long as I have,” she added, “this is a miraculous development and an answer to my prayers.”
Rosalynn was survived by her husband, her four children, Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Chip Carter spoke about his mother and the legacy she leaves behind.
“Besides being a loving mother and extraordinary First Lady, my mother was a great humanitarian in her own right,” said Chip Carter. “Her life of service and compassion was an example for all Americans. She will be sorely missed not only by our family but by the many people who have better mental health care and access to resources for caregiving today.”
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