Washington DC - Jimmy Carter, the 100-year-old former US president and Nobel peace laureate who rose from humble beginnings in rural Georgia to lead the nation from 1977 to 1981, has died.

The former president died "peacefully" at his home in Plains, Georgia, "surrounded by his family," The Carter Center said in a statement.

"My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love," Chip Carter, the former president's son, said in the statement.

The politician entered hospice in 2023 after surviving metastatic brain cancer and liver cancer as well as a brain surgery after a fall in 2019.

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Although he has largely stayed out of the public eye in the last few years, he made an appearance in 2023 for his late wife Rosalyn Carter's memorial service.

Carter was the longest-lived president of the US and had been the oldest living president since the death of George H.W. Bush in 2018 at the age of 94.

During his single term, Carter made a commitment to human rights and social justice, enjoying a strong first two years that included brokering a peace deal between Israel and Egypt dubbed the Camp David Accords.

But his administration hit numerous snags – the most serious being the taking of US hostages in Iran and the disastrous failed attempt to rescue the 52 captive Americans in 1980.

He also came in for criticism for his handling of an oil crisis.

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In November of that year, Republican challenger Ronald Reagan clobbered Carter at the polls, relegating the Democrat to just one term.

Reagan, a former actor and governor of California, swept into office on a wave of staunch conservatism.

As the years passed, a more nuanced image of Carter emerged – one that took into account his significant post-presidential activities and reassessed his achievements.

He founded the Carter Center in 1982 to pursue his vision of world diplomacy, and he was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts to promote social and economic justice.

Jimmy Carter leaves behind children Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy as well as an indelible legacy in American history.