Jimmy Carter, the former US president who became a crusader for human rights and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in later life, has died aged 100.
Mr Carter, who served as the 39th US president between 1977 and 1981, had been receiving hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia since February 2023, according to the Carter Center, a not-for-profit body he set up to advance human rights.
His death was confirmed in a statement released by The Carter Center on Sunday, local time.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden directed that January 9 would be a national day of mourning throughout the United States for Mr Carter.
"I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter," Mr Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
"My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love," said Chip Carter, the former president's son.
"My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honouring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs."
Mr Carter lived longer after leaving the White House than any other ex-president but suffered failing health in later years, including a melanoma that spread to his liver and brain.
Until mid-2020, four decades after he left office, he was still teaching at Sunday school twice a month in his tiny hometown.
Prior to his centennial celebration, Carter said he was "only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris", grandson Jason Carter told Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
He achieved that wish on October 16, with the Carter Center confirming he had voted by mail.
A one-term president, Carter was arguably more influential, effective and admired as a leader after he left office.
When Americans voted a peanut farmer from the deep south into the White House, it was described as the closest they had come to randomly picking a name out of the phone book.
However, after the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal, they longed for an honest outsider.
Mr Carter — a quietly spoken former Georgia governor with a radiant smile — seemed like the man for the time, introducing himself at the 1976 Democratic convention with the simple line: "My name is Jimmy Carter and I'm running for president."
"We want to have faith again. We want to be proud again. We just want the truth again," he said.
The surprise Democrat candidate stunned pundits in winning the presidency with his centrist message and brilliant campaign, promising: "I'll never tell a lie. I'll never avoid a controversial issue."
Born James Earl Carter Jr, the future president grew upin the tiny town of Plains. As a young man he joined the US Navy and served in the elite nuclear submarine program, but resigned after the sudden death of his father, and returned to Plains to run the family peanut farm.
He became a state senator in 1963 and was governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.
Having been raised in segregated rural Georgia, Mr Carter's politics were influenced by the civil rights era.
"The time of racial discrimination is over," he declared at his inauguration as governor.
And, by the time he ascended to the White House, he had established himself as a politician with progressive values.
He beat Gerald Ford — successor to the disgraced Richard Nixon — at the 1976 presidential election, two years after the climax of the Watergate affair.
There were successes in office: a historic peace deal between Israel and Egypt and an arms control treaty with the Soviet Union.
However, his time in office is better remembered for the events that overwhelmed it: inflation, a global energy crisis, war in Afghanistan and the US hostage crisis in Iran.
The capture of US embassy staff in Tehran by revolutionaries, and the failed rescue mission that ensued, dominated the final year of the Carter administration and contributed hugely to his defeat by Ronald Reagan in 1980.
But his tireless work for humanity after his presidency saw him receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
He set up the non-governmental, not-for-profit Carter Center to advance human rights, advocating his enduring belief that conflicts must be solved by mediation and cooperation.
"Our commitment to human rights must be absolute," he said.
With his wife, Rosalynn, he was a volunteer, helping the needy at home and abroad.
Rosalynn died on November 19, 2023 at the age of 96 after living with dementia.
"She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it," Mr Carter said in a statement.
"As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me."
They were married for 78 years, having wed in 1946 when he was 21 and she was 18.
Americans owe Carter 'a debt of gratitude'
Outgoing US President Joe Biden remembered Mr Carter as an "extraordinary leader and statesman".
"To the entire Carter family, we send our gratitude for sharing them with America and the world. To their staff — from the earliest days to the final ones — we have no doubt that you will continue to do the good works that carry on their legacy," a statement from the White House said.
"And to all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning — the good life — study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility. He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people — decent and honourable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong."
Mr Biden said an official state funeral would be held in Washington DC to honour the former president.
US president-elect Donald Trump paid tribute to Mr Carter in a post to his platform Truth Social.
"Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History," Trump wrote.
"The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.
"Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added to the tributes in a post on X.
"President Jimmy Carter gave a century of noble service to the country he loved, to the cause of peace and to the lives of people in need all around the world," he wrote.
"Beyond being elected to the presidency or being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Jimmy Carter's legacy is best measured in lives changed, saved and uplifted.
"Our world is a better a place for Jimmy Carter's life and work. May he rest in eternal peace."
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton acknowledged the late president's efforts to forge a deeper relationship with Australia.
"Motivated by a deep morality, he championed the cause of human rights, expanded social services and advocated for nuclear arms reduction," he said in a statement.
"As we reflect on the life of President Jimmy Carter, our thoughts are with his children, his family, his Democratic Party colleagues and the American people."
ABC/wires
