Jimmy Carter passes away at 100: Here's the secret of his long life

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, passed away at the age of 100, marking the end of a remarkable life. Carter, who celebrated his centennial birthday on October 1, was the first former U.S. president to reach this milestone. He passed away peacefully on Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he had spent most of his life with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, who predeceased him in November 2023 at the age of 96. The Carter Center announced his death, which came 22 months after he entered hospice care in February 2023.

Born in 1924 in Plains, Georgia, Carter lived a life of diverse roles and accomplishments. He was a peanut farmer, a Navy submariner, Georgia’s governor, a humanitarian, and, from 1977 to 1981, the President of the United States. Reflecting on his longevity in 2019, Carter remarked, “It’s hard to live until you’re 95 years old.” His long life was not without challenges—he survived cancer and endured several falls in his later years. Despite these hurdles, Carter maintained an optimistic outlook, saying, “I’ve had a full life, I have thousands of friends... so I was surprisingly at ease, much more so than my wife was.”

Carter attributed his remarkable longevity to a combination of factors, foremost among them his 77-year marriage to Rosalynn. He once said, “The best explanation for that is to marry the best spouse: someone who will take care of you, engage you, and do things to challenge you and keep you alive and interested in life.” Together, the Carters dedicated themselves to humanitarian work, notably volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to build and renovate homes in 14 countries. Carter also pursued new experiences late in life, including learning to downhill ski at the age of 62. Rosalynn once observed, "Jimmy doesn’t want to just learn about things, he wants to do them."