Rosalynn Carter, former first lady, dead at 96

Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady and Jimmy Carter's closest advisor during his one term as US president and the four decades that followed as global humanitarians, passed away at the age of ninety-six.

She suffered from dementia and several months of deteriorating health, according to the Carter Center, before passing away on Sunday. She "died peacefully, with family by her side" at 2:10 p.m. at her rural Plains, Georgia, home, according to the statement announcing her death.

In the statement, Carter said, "Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished." “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.”

Speaking of the Carters' "great integrity," President Joe Biden described them as "an incredible family because they brought so much much grace to the office."

Between 1977 and 1981, Jimmy Carter told aides, "Rosalynn is my best friend... the perfect extension of me, probably the most influential person in my life."

The 99-year-old former president is still living at the Plains residence of the couple after he started hospice care in February.