Rosalynn Carter, wife of the 39th U.S. president and the former first lady and, has died at the age of 96.
According to a statement from the Carter Center, Carter passed away on Sunday at her Plains, Georgia, home. She started receiving hospice care on Friday, as she had been suffering from dementia.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” said former president Carter. “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.”
From 1977 until 1981, Carter held the position of first lady of the United States and was a strong supporter of women's rights, mental health, and caregiving.
“Besides being a loving mother and extraordinary First Lady, my mother was a great humanitarian in her own right,” her son Chip Carter said in a statement.
“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.”
Her children, Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy, as well as her 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, survive her.
In 2015, a grandson passed away.
