Former US president Jimmy Carter has died at age 100 - son says

Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter has died at age 100 - his son has said. The 39th American president, the longest living man to ever hold the title, died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia

Carter, a Democrat, was president between 1977 and 1981. The Georgia peanut farmer served one turbulent term in the White House before building a reputation as a global humanitarian and champion of democracy.

He defeated President Gerald Ford in 1976 promising to restore trust in government but lost to Ronald Reagan four years later amid soaring inflation, gas station lines and the Iran hostage crisis. After losing the election, he went on to start the Carter Centre to expand and promote human rights. He and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives in the house where he died, The Carter Center said.

His work would see him awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Only three former presidents, excluding outgoing President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, remain alive. They are Bill Clinton - the only president who was in the office in the 20th century still alive - along with George W Bush and Barack Obama.

The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s.

“My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Mr Carter once said.