Former US President and Nobel laureate Jimmy Carter dies at home at age 100

Jimmy Carter, the former peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died at age 100. 

The Carter Center said the 39th president died on Sunday afternoon, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November last year, lived most of their lives.

The centre said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family.

As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an "extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian" and he had lost a dear friend.

Biden cited Carter's compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others.

"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," Biden said in a statement.

"He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honourable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong."

Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington.

A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for the presidency in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government.

His promise to never deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon's disgrace and the US defeat in southeast Asia.

"If I ever lie to