Former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter has died at the age of 96.

Rosalynn Carter passed away from a mental health condition and old age at her home, surrounded by loved ones, according to a statement released by the Carter Center, a non-profit organization founded by her and her husband.

U.S. President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter dance at the White House in Washington on December 13, 1978. Photo: Library of Congress .

Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, served as President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He and his wife were the longest-married presidential couple in the United States, having tied the knot in 1946 when he was 21 and she was 18.

Former President Carter said in a statement: “Rosalynn has been my equal partner in everything I’ve ever accomplished. She has given me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn is alive, I will always know there is someone who loves and supports me.”

She was considered modest and quiet before arriving in Washington in 1977, but she developed into an eloquent speaker, campaigner, and activist. "The best thing I ever did was marry Rosalynn. It was the pinnacle of my life," Carter told C-SPAN in 2015.

Before Carter was elected president in 1976, Roslynn was virtually unknown outside of Georgia, where he had served as governor, having risen from a peanut farmer. He lost his 1980 re-election bid to Ronald Reagan, the former California governor and Hollywood actor.

Eleanor Rosalynn Smith was born on August 18, 1927, in Plains and married Carter on July 7, 1946. They had four children. She faced mental health issues from the early 1970s.

At the White House, she became honorary chair of the President’s Mental Health Committee, a key figure in passing the 1980 law that funded local mental health centers.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cuu-de-nhat-phu-nhan-my-rosalynn-carter-qua-doi-o-tuoi-96-post273136.html