The former US President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100.

The Novel Peace Prize winner served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981, replacing Gerald Ford.

He passed away on Sunday while receiving hospice care for melanoma that had spread to his liver and brain.

He holds the record for the longest living former US President.

A video tribute to former President Jimmy Carter is seen before an NFL football game between the Washington Commanders and the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Mr Carter was born James Earl Carter Jr in October 1924, in the small farming town of Plains, Georgia.

Before he went into politics, he served in the US navy and took over his father's peanut farm.

He had ancestors from Co Antrim and had visited Ireland a number of times.

File photo dated 23/1/2004 of Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams meeting Jimmy Carter in Atlanta, Georgia USA. \Image: PA Images / Alamy

During his presidential career, he brokered the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, which established the framework for a historic peace treaty between the two countries that was signed in 1979.

He also granted unconditional pardons to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the Vietnam War draft during his time in office.

He had said the pardon was needed "to heal our country after the Vietnam War".

Post-presidency

Almost uniquely as a former President, his greatest legacy will however perhaps be his distinguished record and commitment to human rights in the decades following his presidency and his quest for peace.

He had an outstanding post-presidency career and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his lifetime's work of conflict resolution and human rights.

He's survived by his four children - Jack, James (Chip), Donnel (Jeff) and Amy - as well as his 11 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

Tributes

President Michael Higgins has paid tribute to the late Mr Carter saying he will be remembered as a principled man who dedicated his life to seeking to advance the cause of peace across the world.

Táinste Michael Martin added tributes saying Mr Carter truly lived a life less ordinary with a deep commitment to peace in the Middle East, human and civil rights, housing and ending the arms race between the US and Soviet Union.

In the US, president Joe Biden has said the world has lost a "remarkable leader" and a "man for all time".

President Elect Donald Trump has also been showering praise on Mr Carter, saying he did his best to improve the lives of his fellow Americans, and the country owes him a debt.

Featured image: Portrait of Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States.