In late May, the Carter Center, the couple’s human rights group, announced that she had been diagnosed with dementia. She entered hospice care on Friday.
Bess Truman, the wife of President Harry Truman, is the only first lady to have outlived Rosalynn Carter, according to the National First Ladies Library. She died in 1982 at the age of 97.
In July 2023, the Carters celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary. They were the longest-married presidential couple in U.S. history. In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton presented the couple with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
The current first lady, Jill Biden, spoke about her predecessor at a holiday event at Naval Station Norfolk on Sunday, CNN reported.
“The former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has just passed,” Biden said. “And she was well known for her efforts on mental health and caregiving and women’s rights.
“And so I hope that during the holidays you’ll … include the Carter family in your prayers.”
Several hours later, President Joe Biden told reporters that the Carters were “an incredible family” because “they brought so much grace” to the office.
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,” Bush and former first lady Laura Bush said in a statement. “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.”
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- who is also a former first lady -- honored Rosalyn Carter in a joint statement for her work spreading “hope, health and democracy across the globe.”
“Rosalynn Carter was a compassionate and committed champion of human dignity everywhere,” the Clintons wrote. “Rosalynn will be forever remembered as the embodiment of a life lived with purpose.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Rosalynn Carter “dedicated her life to serving others.”
“America has lost a passionate humanitarian and champion for people all over the world,” Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Former First Lady Melania Trump said that Carter leaves behind a meaningful legacy, according to The Associated Press.
“We will always remember her servant’s heart and devotion to her husband, family, and country. May she rest in peace,” Trump tweeted.
Former President Donald Trump also paid tribute to Carter on his Truth Social media platform.
“Melania and I join all Americans in mourning the loss of Rosalynn Carter,” Trump wrote. “She was a devoted First Lady, a great humanitarian, a champion for mental health, and a beloved wife to her husband for 77 years, President Carter.”
Journalist Maria Shriver said that she long “admired Rosalynn’s work in mental health and caregiving.”
“Let’s hold Rosalynn and the entire Carter family in our hearts, and hope that her mission of supporting caregivers and raising awareness of the mental health issues involved continue to grow,” Shriver wrote on Instagram.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted that Rosalynn Carter “lived a life of service to her community and to our nation.”
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said that for “all her life,” Rosalynn Carter “dedicated herself to serving others.”
Wanda Sykes said that Rosalynn Carter “brought compassion and advocacy to the forefront.
“A true inspiration and a woman of substance,” Sykes tweeted.
Actress Lynda Carter said that the former first lady handled the post “with strength and grace.”
“She showed us what it meant to be a champion of the American people and a public servant long beyond the call of duty,” the “Wonder Woman” star tweeted.
Habitat for Humanity, the group that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter worked with for decades, called the late first lady “a compassionate and committed champion” for the organization.
“She worked fiercely to help families around the world,” the organization tweeted.
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted that Rosalynn Carter was “a great partner to a consequential President and helped define the modern role” of the first lady.
“She was gracious, warm -- and determined,” Holder wrote.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp emphasized Rosalynn Carter’s ‘indelible impact’ on Georgia and the nation.
“Her achievements will stand the test of time and continue to be celebrated by those who knew her best.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called Carter “the model for the modern day First Lady.”
“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.”
While Jimmy Carter stayed above the fray of partisan politics, Rosalynn was not shy about stumping for her husband, earning the nickname “Steel Magnolia,” The Washington Post reported.
“I’ve always said I’m more political than Jimmy,” she once said. “I’m political, he’s not.”
“She is clearly the most political first lady, maybe in history, in terms of being involved in politics and in the campaign,” Patrick Caddell, Jimmy Carter’s pollster, told The New York Times during the 1980 presidential campaign.
“At the beginning, she was imprisoned by her shyness,” E. Stanly Godbold Jr., a Carter biographer, told the newspaper. “Once she started breaking out of her shell, she piggybacked her career onto her husband’s. Then she had a foot in both worlds, the liberated career woman as well as the supportive spouse.”
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary NEW YORK - JULY 16, 1974: Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn Carter wave to the delegates at the 1977 Democratic National Convention after Carter was nominated to run for President. (Photo by PL Gould/Images Press/Getty Images) (Images Press/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary American politician and US Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, celebrate victory in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary election, New Hampshire, February 24, 1976. (Photo by Mikki Ansin/Getty Images) (Mikki Ansin/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary FILE - In this July 10, 1976 file photo Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalynn and daughter Amy, lower left, respond to a huge crowd that welcomed them to New York. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo, File) (Anonymous/AP)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary FILE - In this Dec. 13, 1978, file photo, President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn lead their guests in dancing at the annual Congressional Christmas Ball at the White House in Washington. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File) (Ira Schwarz/AP)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary ATLANTA - December 12: Former President Jimmy Carter with Former First Lady Rosalynn join Willie Nelson and perform at The Omni Coliseum in Atlanta Georgia. December 12, 1982 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Married couple, former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter pose for photographers during a book signing event, San Francisco, California, 1987. Several members of the Secret Service can be seen behind them. The couple were promoting their book, 'Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life'. (Photo by Bromberger Hoover Photo/Getty Images) (Bromberger Hoover Photography/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Atlanta - Circa October 1994; Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Jimmy Carter attend Former President Jimmy Carter surprise 70th. birthday party at The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta Georgia October, 1994 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (Rick Diamond)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2001, file photo former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, left, and his wife Rosalynn help build a house for the Jimmy Carter Work Project 2001, at Asan near Chonan city, south of Seoul, South Korea. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Yun Jai-hyoung, File) (YUN JAI-HYOUNG/AP)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Rosalynn Carter and Former President Jimmy Carter during Habitat for Humanity - 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project - Day 2 at Benton Harbor in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States. ***Exclusive*** (Photo by R. Diamond/WireImage) (R. Diamond/WireImage)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2009, file photo former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn look at a new interactive exhibit at the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) (John Bazemore/AP)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Jimmy Carter, Democratic presidential candidate, and his wife, Rosalynn, share a moment aboard his campaign plane (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 06: Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter arrive at the 2015 MusiCares Person of The Year honoring Bob Dylan held at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic) (Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary WASHINGTON DC - JANUARY 1977; President Jimmy Carter with wife Rosalyn Carter, takes the oath of office from Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Warren Burger on stage in front of the White House in January 1977; (Photo by Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images) (nik wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary American politician and US Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, talk on the telephone after his victory in the Pennsylvania Primary election, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1976. (Photo by Mikki Ansin/Getty Images) (Mikki Ansin/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Outgoing US President Jimmy Carter (left) and First Lady Rosalynn Carter (second left) receive President-Elect Ronald Reagan and (future First Lady) Nancy Reagan at the White House, Washington DC, November 20, 1980. Reagan had just defeated Carted in the 1980 Presidential Election. (Photo by Diana Walker/Getty Images) (Diana Walker/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary American (future First Lady) Rosalynn Carter and her husband, politician (and future US President) Jimmy Carter on the day after 1976 Democratic National Convention, New York, New York, July 16, 1976. (Photo by Brownie Harris/Corbis via Getty Images) (BROWNIE HARRIS/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary ATLANTA - February 14: Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter attend Former Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter's fundraiser for his 1976 Presidential run at Royal Coach Inn Atlanta Georgia February 14, 1976 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary American politician and US Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter (center, right) and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, smile after his victory in the Pennsylvania Primary election, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1976. (Photo by Mikki Ansin/Getty Images) (Mikki Ansin/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Washington, D.C.: Amy Carter with her father Jimmy and mother Rosalynn Carter in a family suite at the Americana Hotel in Washington, D.C. on July 14, 1976. (Photo by Dick Yarwood/Newsday RM via Getty Images) (Newsday LLC/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter during Habitat for Humanity - 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project - Day 5 at Janette St. & Tecumseh St. West in Windsor, Canada. (Photo by R. Diamond/WireImage) (R. Diamond/WireImage)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Jimmy Carter with his wife, Rosalynn, after a talk with the press in the woods near his home in Plains, Georgia (Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary NEWARK, NJ - 1996: MANDATORY CREDIT Bill Tompkins/Getty Images Former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalyn Carter working with Habitat for Humanity restoring homes May 1996 in Newark. (Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images) (Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary In this April 30, 2021, photo released by The White House, former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter pose for a photo with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the home of the Carter's in Plains Ga. (Adam Schultz, The White House via AP) (Adam Schultz/AP)
The Carters celebrated their 76th wedding anniversary on July 7, 2022. Here are images from their amazing life together.
1946: Ensign Jimmy Carter gets help with his epaulets from fiancee Rosalynn, at left, and his mother Miss Lillian, right, when graduating from the Naval Academy. Jimmy and Rosalynn began dating in 1945 and married one month after this photo.
1946: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter pose on their wedding day. The couple, who had both attended Plains High School, met through a mutual friend when Jimmy Carter was serving in the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.
Jimmy Carter's active naval service lasted from 1946-1953. During that time, they lived in Norfolk, Va., and John, James and Jeffrey were born. In 1953, they took over the family peanut business in Plains, Ga. Daughter Amy was born in 1967.
Carter became a Georgia state senator in 1963, an office he would hold until 1967. In 1966, he ran for governor but lost the Democratic primary election. The couple are seen here, in 1966, on that otherwise disappointing election night.
Four years later, Jimmy Carter would be elected governor in 1970, on his second try. Here, he celebrates on election night with Rosalynn and his mother Miss Lillian.
Gov. Jimmy Carter and Georgia's new First Lady Rosalynn Carter dance at the 1971 inaugural ball at the Regency Hotel in downtown Atlanta.
Georgia's First Couple travel through South America in 1972. Decades later the couple would put their wanderlust to good use through the Carter Center.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter greet the crowd during the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden. They are joined by Walter Mondale and his wife Joan.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are all smiles at Jimmy's 1977 Presidential Inauguration. At their side is the outgoing President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty.
Jimmy, Amy, and Rosalynn Carter walk down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House after the 1977 inauguration ceremony.
The nation's First Couple poses on the White House lawn with daughter Amy in 1977.
In 1980, the last year of his term, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter attend Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains.
In 1982, the Carters founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to "improve life for people in more than 80 countries." Here, they are seen in Indonesia in 1999, on a trip to observe elections.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in their Plains home in 2002.
In 2007, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter wear traditional Ghanaian attire, a gift from the chief of Tingoli village in northern Ghana, during a field trip to assess Carter Center disease prevention work in Africa.
Former president Jimmy Carter gets a kiss from Rosalynn on his 85th birthday, in 2009, during the reopening of the Carter Presidential Museum after a major renovation.
Rosalynn Carter gets emotional during a dedication ceremony and birthday celebration with staff and guests at the Day Chapel of the Ivan Allen III Pavilion at the Carter Center, in 2014.
President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter join in the Festival Dance on Main Street during the 18th Annual Plains Peanut Festival onSept. 27, 2014, in Plains.
Jimmy Carter, 89, and his wife Rosalynn, 86, hold hands as they leave the Maranatha Baptist Church following church services on Sunday, June 15, 2014, in Plains.
Jimmy Carter sneaks a kiss with Rosalynn while the couple works on a Habitat for Humanity build in Memphis in 2015.
Jimmy Carter kisses Rosalynn on the "Kiss Cam" during a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays in Atlanta in 2015. Carter had recently announced his cancer diagnosis.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter talk about their years together in his office at the Carter Center in Atlanta in June 2016. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary July 7, 2016.