The Carter Center added that Mrs. Carter died after suffering from dementia and declining health for many months.
Ms. Rosalynn Carter at an event in 2011
In recent days, Ms. Carter has been receiving end-of-life care at home in Plains City, Georgia (USA). Mr. Carter himself (99 years old) is also receiving end-of-life care at home after deciding to refuse additional medical intervention in February. Mr. Carter is the oldest living former president of the United States, while Mrs. Carter is the second oldest living former first lady, only after the late first lady Bee Truman (who passed away at the age of 97).
Mr. Carter and his wife have been married for more than 77 years. Unlike many other US first ladies, Mrs. Carter attended cabinet meetings at the White House, gave opinions on controversial issues and represented her husband on several foreign trips. “Rosalynn is my best friend, the perfect extension of me, perhaps the most influential person in my life,” Mr. Carter shared when he was US president, in the period 1997 – 1981.
After leaving the White House, former President Carter and his wife co-founded the Carter Center in Atlanta (Georgia state capital) to continue their work. Ms. Carter focuses on mental health issues, raising funds for efforts to support people with mental illness and the homeless, according to AP.
