In July, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter marked their 77th wedding anniversary at their home in southern Georgia – continuing their legacy as the longest-married first couple.

The two spent a quiet night at home celebrating as both faced health troubles in the last year. The former first lady had dementia while Mr Carter has been in hospice care since February.

Though they both struggled with their health in their later years, they still enjoyed each other’s company, according to the Carter family.

“As we have looked back at their legacy, it has been really wonderful to see the outpouring of support and respect and love,” Jason Carter, the couple’s grandson, said at the time.

“That word love is really the one that defines certainly their personal relationship, but also the way they approach this world.”

The grandson of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter previously told news outlets that even at the end of their lives, the two were still together and holding hands.

“They are still here, they are still holding hands and still very much together,” Josh Carter told People magazine in August.

Carter and her husband were married for 77 years.

Toward the end of her life, Carter was diagnosed with dementia. But even then, she was able to recognise her husband.

Josh Carter told People Carter was aware of Mr Carter and her other family members at the time but that it was probably “hard” for Mr Carter to see his wife lose access to older memories.

“I think the beautiful thing is that they are still together,” Josh said.

Barack and Michelle Obama have paid tribute to former first lady Rosalynn Carter, following her death aged 96.

“Rosalynn Carter’s life is a reminder that no matter who we are, our legacies are best measured not in awards or accolades, but in the lives we touch. We send our thoughts and prayers to Jimmy and the entire Carter family during this difficult time,” former president Barack Obama wrote on X.

Former first lady Michelle Obama echoed his comments, writing: “You learn very quickly that there is no handbook or rules to being First Lady. Technically, it’s not even an official position. And while there are spoken and unspoken expectations that provide some structure, the role is largely shaped by the passions and aspirations of the person holding it. First Lady Rosalynn Carter understood that well. Guided by her abiding faith and her commitment to service, Mrs. Carter used her platform in profoundly meaningful ways. Her groundbreaking work to combat the stigma faced by those struggling with their mental health brought light to so many suffering in silence. She advocated for better care for the elderly. She advanced women’s rights. And she remained a champion for those causes — and many others like building affordable housing for those in need and caring for our nation’s caregivers — in the more than four decades that followed. When our family was in the White House, every so often, Rosalynn would join me for lunch, offering a few words of advice and always — always — a helping hand. She reminded me to make the role of First Lady my own, just like she did. I’ll always remain grateful for her support and her generosity. Today, Barack and I join the world in celebrating the remarkable legacy of a First Lady, philanthropist, and advocate who dedicated her life to lifting up others. Her life is a reminder that no matter who we are, our legacies are best measured not in awards or accolades, but in the lives we touch. We send our thoughts and prayers to Jimmy and the entire Carter family during this difficult time.”

One of the tributes posted on Twitter Sunday evening after the death of Rosalynn Carter was emblematic of her family’s legacy — it came from Bernice King, granddaughter of murdered civil rights icon Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

“Her commitment to peace and tireless efforts, alongside her husband, former President #JimmyCarter, to make a positive impact on our nation and world will be remembered. Our hearts are with President Carter and the Carter family during this difficult time,” Ms King wrote in a pair of posts.

Melania Trump has paid tribute to fellow former first lady Rosalynn Carter, remembering her “servant’s heart and devotion to her husband, family, and country”.

Donald Trump’s wife took to X on Sunday to release a statement following Carter’s death aged 96 at the weekend.

“Rosalynn Carter leaves behind a meaningful legacy not only as First Lady but as a wife and mother,” she wrote.

“We will always remember her servant’s heart and devotion to her husband, family, and country. May she rest in peace.”

The Washington chattering class, often unsure what to make of outsiders, dubbed Rosalynn Carter the “Steel Magnolia” when she arrived as first lady.

A devout Baptist and mother of four, she was diminutive and outwardly shy, with a soft smile and softer Southern accent. That was the “magnolia.” She also was a force behind Jimmy Carter’s rise from peanut farmer to winner of the 1976 presidential election. That was the “steel.”

Yet that obvious, even trite moniker almost certainly undersold her role and impact across the Carters’ early life, their one White House term and their four decades afterward as global humanitarians advocating peace, democracy and the eradication of disease.

Through more than 77 years of marriage, until her death Sunday at the age of 96, Rosalynn Carter was business and political partner, best friend and closest confidant to the 39th president.

Donald Trump mocked Jimmy Carter just hours after his wife Rosalynn Carter entered hospice care – and hours before she passed away.

Speaking at a rally in Iowa on Sunday, the former president took aim at the former president in a bizarre attempt to lash out at current President Joe Biden.

“The happiest person anywhere in this country right now is Jimmy Carter because his administration looked brilliant compared to these clowns,” he said of the Biden administration.

“Compared to Biden, Jimmy Carter was a brilliant, brilliant president.”

His comments came hours after it was announced that the former first lady had entered hospice care.

She died on Sunday aged 96.

Read the statement from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden in full:

First Lady Rosalynn Carter walked her own path, inspiring a nation and the world along the way. Throughout her incredible life as First Lady of Georgia and the First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn did so much to address many of society’s greatest needs. She was a champion for equal rights and opportunities for women and girls; an advocate for mental health and wellness for every person; and a supporter of the often unseen and uncompensated caregivers of our children, aging loved ones, and people with disabilities. Above all, the deep love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership, and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism. She lived her life by her faith. Time and time again, during the more than four decades of our friendship – through rigors of campaigns, through the darkness of deep and profound loss – we always felt the hope, warmth, and optimism of Rosalynn Carter. She will always be in our hearts. On behalf of a grateful nation, we send our love to President Carter, the entire Carter family, and the countless people across our nation and the world whose lives are better, fuller, and brighter because of the life and legacy of Rosalynn Carter. May God bless our dear friend. May God bless a great American.

Former president Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter made a rare public appearance at a peanut festival in September in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.

The pair were driven in the annual festival’s parade in a black SUV.

“The Carters made the day for the thousands of attendees at the Plains Peanut Festival,” Jill Stuckey of the National Park Service’s Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains told the AJC. “What a wonderful surprise for everyone.”