Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Dies at 100

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Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter — who served as the country’s commander in chief from 1977 to 1981 — died at 100 years old, making him the longest-living president in American history.

“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love,” Chip Carter, Jimmy Carter’s son, said in a statement on his death from the Carter Center. “My brothers, sister and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

Carter’s care put a spotlight on the immunotherapy drug, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), which was approved 11 months before his diagnosis of metastatic melanoma in August 2015. After receiving surgery for a mass on his liver and then radiation to treat the brain metastases, Carter went on to receive Keytruda, a monoclonal antibody that works by helping the immune system find and fight cancer.

In December 2015, the former president announced that there were no signs of the original cancer, nor any signs of new ones on a brain MRI. In an August 2016 interview with NBC News, Carter said, “A year ago, I didn’t think I was going to live for two or three weeks. … I was putting on kind of a false, optimistic face.”

READ MORE: In Recent Decades, Immunotherapy Extended Advanced Melanoma Survival from Months to Years

In a story posted on NBC News, Dr. Suresh Ramalingam, executive director of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, where Carter was treated at the time, noted that he and his colleagues were “immensely grateful” for his efforts in raising awareness around immunotherapy.

“When we see patients like President Carter beat their cancer, that is the positive reinforcement that drives us to do even better,” Ramalingam said.

In February 2023, Carter opted to undergo hospice care, a service for individuals who are at the end of their life, with the goal of providing comfort, reducing pain and addressing physical and psychological needs for both patients and providers. Carter’s wife, Rosalynn Carter, who had dementia, also entered hospice care in November 2023, before her death on Nov. 19.

The Carter Center, a nonprofit established by the former president and his wife, Rosalynn, announced on Feb. 18, 2023, “After a series of short hospital stays, former US President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention. He has the full support of his family and his medical team.”

Reactions to Carter’s Death

Many people across social media and via public comments have made statements on Carter’s death.

“With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and always advocate for the least among us,” President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said in a joint statement. “He saved, lifted and changed the lives of people all across the globe.”

President-elect Donald Trump also commented on Truth Social by writing, “The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country, and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

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