Rosalynn Carter Dead At 96

PLAINS, GA — Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter died Sunday afternoon at her home in Plains, according to the Carter Center. She was 96.

The Carter Center said that she died peacefully, with family by her side, after living with dementia and suffering many months of declining health. The family had disclosed Friday that Carter was entering hospice care.

Carter was married for 77 years to Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and a 2002 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, who is now 99 years old and has been receiving end-of-life care since February.

Jimmy Carter is the longest-lived U.S. president. Rosalynn Carter was the second longest-lived of the nation's first ladies, trailing only Bess Truman, who died at age 97.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Carter said in a death announcement from the Carter Center. “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.”

She is survived by her children — Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy — and 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. A grandson died in 2015.

Rosalynn was a passionate champion of mental health, caregiving and women’s rights.

“Besides being a loving mother and extraordinary First Lady, my mother was a great humanitarian in her own right,” Chip Carter said in the death announcement. “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.”

First Lady Jill Biden, appearing at an event at Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia, said she had to “lead this off with a sad announcement” of Rosalynn's death.

“She was well-known for her efforts on mental health and caregiving and women's rights. So I hope that during the holidays, you'll ... include the Carter family in your prayers,” Biden said.

Political leaders of both major parties shared their condolences Sunday.

“She embodied the principles of love, justice, and humility that resonate in our faith traditions," U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia said in a prepared statement.

"Moreover, her commitment to destigmatizing mental health care, strengthening human rights and improving global health was an extension of her faith and a testament to her caring spirit. Her work was not about politics — it was about uplifting the vulnerable, showing mercy, and embodying the belief that we are all connected."

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said Carter would be remembered for her compassionate nature and passion for women’s rights, human rights and mental health reform.

“The State of Georgia and the United States are better places because of Rosalynn Carter," the Georgia Democrat said in a statement.

Former President Donald Trump said Carter “earned the admiration and gratitude” of the nation.

“From her days as a U.S. Navy spouse, to the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, to her tenure as First Lady of the United States, and her later work at the Carter Center and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, she leaves behind a legacy of extraordinary accomplishment and national service,” Trump said on Truth Social.

In a separate statement, former first lady Melania Trump also noted Carter's meaningful legacy.

“We will always remember her servant’s heart and devotion to her husband, family, and country. May she rest in peace,” Melania Trump said on X.

Former President George W. Bush called Carter a woman of dignity and strength.

“There was no greater advocate of President Carter, and their partnership set a wonderful example of loyalty and fidelity. She leaves behind an important legacy in her work to destigmatize mental health. We join our fellow citizens in sending our condolences to President Carter and their family,” Bush said in a statement with former first lady Laura Bush.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called Carter “the model for the modern-day first lady” and praised her work promoting mental health awareness.

“She never stopped advocating for mental health or the Equal Rights Amendment,” Dickens said in a statement. "The city of Atlanta joins all of Georgia — and mourners around the world — as we honor the memory of First Lady Rosalynn Carter.”

Born Eleanor Rosalynn Smith on Aug. 18, 1927, in Plains, Rosalynn was the daughter of a farmer who ran an auto shop and a homemaker who graduated college, according to her official Carter Center biography. Her father died of leukemia at age 44 and her mother went to work, leaving her to help with housekeeping and childcare. She was the 1944 Plains High School valedictorian and graduated from Georgia Southwestern College in 1946.

Rosalynn fell in love with the brother of one of her best friends. Jimmy and Rosalynn had known each other all their lives — it was Jimmy's mother, nurse Lillian Carter, who delivered baby Rosalynn — but he left for the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, when she was still in high school.

After a blind date, Jimmy told his mother: "That's the girl I want to marry." They wed in 1946, shortly after his graduation from Annapolis.

Unlike many previous first ladies, Rosalynn sat in on Cabinet meetings, spoke out on controversial issues and represented her husband on foreign trips. Aides to President Carter sometimes referred to her — privately — as "co-president." Her iron will, contrasted with her outwardly shy demeanor and a soft Southern accent, inspired Washington reporters to call her "the Steel Magnolia."

"She knew what she wanted to accomplish," Kathy Cade, a White House adviser to Rosalynn, has said.

Early in 1977, barred by statute from chairing the newly established President’s Commission on Mental Health, she became its honorary chair, holding hearings across the country, testifying before Congress and spearheading the passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980.

Rosalynn represented the U.S. government to heads of state from seven Latin American countries on a 1977 trip, sent by the president to tell dictators he meant what he said about denying military aid and other support to violators of human rights.

She was the first first lady to address the World Health Organization. Immunizing children against preventable diseases was a focus throughout her public service career.

"Rosalynn is my best friend ... the perfect extension of me, probably the most influential person in my life," Jimmy Carter told aides during their White House years, which spanned from 1977-1981.

In 1982, the Carters founded the Carter Center, traveling the globe in their efforts to eradicate certain tropical diseases, increase agricultural production in Africa, monitor elections in nascent democracies and urge compliance with international human rights standards.

Rosalynn established the Carter Center’s Mental Health Program to combat stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses and improve mental health care.

In 1987, she founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers at Georgia Southwestern State University, building on her belief that “there are only four kinds of people in this world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers,” according to her biography.

She was also the author of five books.

Asked once how she would like to be remembered, she said, according to the Carter Center, “I would like for people to think that I took advantage of the opportunities I had and did the best I could.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.