Former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter He died this Sunday at the age of 96as reported by the Carter Center.
Last week this institution had said that the former first lady had entered a palliative care center, intended for patients who decide to stop receiving treatment towards the end of their life.
For her part, her husband, the former president Jimmy Carter He had entered palliative care in February. That same month, it had become public that Rosalynn had been diagnosed with dementia.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. While Rosalynn was in the world, she always knew that someone loved me and supported me,” she reads in a statement released on behalf of the former president by the Carter Center.
The obituary of The New York Times highlights that Rosalynn Carter redefined the role of a first lady. While that of CNN points out that the Carter marriage revolutionized how the post-presidency was understood.
Rosalynn was also an activist who fought to break down the stigmas associated with people with mental illness and for parity and access to mental health treatment.
Her husband is the longest-serving former president in United States history. And until a few years ago, the couple remained active and promoted numerous initiatives from the non-governmental organization that bears her name, and which they founded in 1982.
Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter had four children, 12 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.
Carter, who governed the United States between 1977 and 1981, and was defeated by Ronald Reagan after his first term, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work.
The former president visited Cuba in 2002 and 2011. In 2002, he became the first former president of the United States to arrive on the island after the triumph of the Revolution.
He met with Fidel Castro in the context of the Varela Project promoted by dissident Oswaldo Payá.
In 2011, his visit was intended to intercede on behalf of imprisoned American contractor Alan Gross.
