Tributes have been paid to former US President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Sunday afternoon at the age of 100.
Carter died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died in November 2023 at the age of 96.
Born in 1924, Carter, a former peanut farmer, was the longest-lived president in US history and the first Southern Baptist to be elected president of the United States.
Prior to entering the White House he was governor of Georgia, where he advocated for racial and gender equality. In 1977, he became the 39th US president serving one term before losing to Ronald Reagan.
After leaving the White House, he founded the Carter Center to advance peace and democracy, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden said, "When I look at Jimmy Carter, I see a man not only for our times, but for all times. A man who embodied the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away. And while we may never see his likes again, we would all do well to try to be a little more like Jimmy Carter."
After leaving the White House, Carter and his wife spent decades volunteering with Christian charity Habitat for Humanity. Its CEO Jonathan Reckford said the couple had made an "incredible impact".
"We are deeply saddened by President Carter's passing, and our prayers are with the Carter family," he said.
"President and Mrs. Carter began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity near their home in southwest Georgia more than 40 years ago, and soon brought worldwide attention to the need for decent and affordable housing.
"We are grateful for the incredible impact the Carters have had on Habitat and on the families who have benefited from their shining example.
"The Carters put Habitat for Humanity on the map, and their legacy lives on in every family we serve around the world."
Carter authored more than 30 books during his lifetime, including many on the subject of faith and morality, like The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East, Living Faith, Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith, Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, NIV Lessons from the Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter, A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power and Faith: A Journey for All.
US President-elect Donald Trump said, "While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realized that he truly loved and respected our country, and all it stands for.
"He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect.
"He was a truly good man and, of course, will be greatly missed. He was also very consequential, far more than most Presidents, after he left the Oval Office. Warmest condolences from Melania and I to his wonderful family."
Civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Push Coalition said he had "touched countless lives, offering hope where there was despair and love where there was indifference".
"President Carter lived his faith, proving that humility, service, and love are the most powerful forces for change," it said.
Carter was the first US president to welcome a pope to the White House when John Paul II visited in 1979.
He regularly led Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains, Georgia, teaching as late as 2015 when he was ill with cancer.
In 2000, he left the Southern Baptist denomination, one reason being its refusal to ordain women.
"I'm familiar with the verses they have quoted about wives being subjugated to their husbands," Carter said at the time.
"In my opinion, this is a distortion of the meaning of Scripture. ... I personally feel the Bible says all people are equal in the eyes of God. I personally feel that women should play an absolutely equal role in service of Christ in the church."
Carter had close ties to late evangelist Billy Graham, helping with the organisation of his crusades and guest-speaking on occasion.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) paid tribute to Carter's "strong faith in God".
It recalled one particular occasion when Graham had needed someone to help run racially integrated Gospel film nights in the lead-up to his Georgia crusade in the 1960s. Carter "was the only man who had the courage to be the chairman", Graham later said.
Under Carter's leading, different races sat side by side to watch the Gospel film together prior to the crusade. Carter spoke about the experience during an appearance at Billy Graham's 1994 crusade in Atlanta.
"When I went to the major churches, none of them would let us come in," he said. "So we went to the basement of an abandoned school building and that's where we had our integrated planning meetings."
Graham's son, Franklin Graham, who heads the BGEA, said Carter and his father "had a close relationship".
"I know that his family would appreciate your prayers," he said.
