Former US first lady Rosalynn Carter passes away at 96

Former US first lady Rosalynn Carter, wife of former President Jimmy Carter, passed away in her home in Georgia on Sunday, the couple's non-profit announced. She was 96 years old.

In a statement, the Carter Center remembered her as "a passionate champion of mental health, caregiving and women's rights."

"She died peacefully, with family by her side," the statement said. 

She died in the home where she lived with her husband, who is currently 99 years old. Earlier this year, the Carter family announced that Rosalynn was battling dementia and that Jimmy Carter was receiving hospice care.

Jimmy Carter pays tribute to 'my equal partner'

Rosalynn stood out as a first lady who was involved in policy, having advised her husband as the governor of Georgia after he was elected to the White House in 1976.

"Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished," Jimmy Carter said in a statement.

"She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me."

The White House said on its website that Rosalynn "attended cabinet meetings and major briefings, frequently represented the chief executive at ceremonial occasions and served as the president's personal emissary to Latin American countries."

A lifelong champion of mental health

The former first lady is survived by her four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, after losing a grandson in 2015.

Her son Chip Carter paid tribute to her not only as a mother but as a lifelong advocate for mental health.

Rosalynn continued her advocacy long after the White House through the Carter Center and as the author of books on the topic. 

"Besides being a loving mother and extraordinary first lady, my mother was a great humanitarian in her own right," Chip Carter said in a statement.

"She will be sorely missed not only by our family but by the many people who have better mental health care and access to resources for caregiving today."