Former President Jimmy Carter has died, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, at age 100.

Carter was the 39th and longest-living president in U.S. history. He served a single term after defeating former President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. He was also a Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 2002, although the Nobel Committee chairman believed he deserved the distinction since 1978 when he negotiated a peace deal between Egypt and Israel.

The Carter Center announced Feb. 18, 2023, that Carter had entered hospice care after several visits to the hospital. Center officials said in a statement the former president expressed he did not want to spend his remaining days in a hospital setting, instead spending time with his family and care team.

His wife, Rosalynn Carter, a longtime mental health care activist, died Nov. 19, 2023 at their home in Plains, Georgia.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Carter said in the 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.”

During his life, he visited Kentucky many times. Here are some of the moments he spent in the Bluegrass State:

Candidate Carter meets with former Gov. Julian Carroll in Frankfort in 1975

Carter hosted a news conference and visited former Gov. Julian Carroll in Frankfort two weeks after his term as Georgia governor ended and as he started his campaign for his Democratic nomination, according to Courier Journal archives.

State Sen. William Sullivan flew Carter across the state Jan. 28, 1975, and hosted a reception for him in his home in Henderson. Although Sullivan said they were friends, he didn’t endorse his presidential run during the event.

Former Lt. Gov. Wilson Wyatt Sr. hosted a luncheon for Carter at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville which included attendance from former Gov. Bert Combs.

Presidential fundraising at the Galt House Hotel in 1976

Carter returned to the Galt House on April 16, 1976, to host a fundraiser ahead of Kentucky’s presidential primary May 25 of that year. Carroll endorsed fellow Democrat Carter at the time.

Carter spoke to the media, donors and crowds of supporters that stood on the Belvedere between Fourth and Sixth streets in downtown Louisville, reportedly telling the people: “I don’t intend to lose. I think you’re looking at the next president of this country.”

President Carter visits, talks energy in Louisville in 1979

Carter gave a speech about energy security outside of the Cane Run Generating Facility in Louisville on July 31, 1979, according to records at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.

During his visit, Carter was reviewing the plant’s scrubbers, the nation’s first sulfur-dioxide removal systems.

Carter witnesses Sunny Halo’s victory in 1983 Kentucky Derby

Carter attended the 109th Kentucky Derby in 1983 as the Derby guest of Gov. John Y. Brown Jr. and Kentucky First Lady Phyllis George Brown. Carter also attended a Derby Eve luncheon at former Louisville Mayor Harvey Sloane’s house.

Carter attends Louisville fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity in 1997

Carter visited Louisville in 1997 with his wife Rosalynn for a fundraising dinner for Habitat for Humanity, a charity that builds houses for low-income people.

Carter returns to Louisville to promote ‘Christmas in the Plains’ in 2001

Carter’s final visit to Louisville came in 2001 to promote his book “Christmas in the Plains” at the former Hawley-Cooke Booksellers store on Shelbyville Road. Michael Veirs wrote in The Courier Journal’s reader forum that Carter signed 600 books of people with passes and stayed to signed more copies of his then-latest book.

“Carter’s humble and friendly manner was immediately evident to all who were fortunate enough to meet him,” Veirs said.

Reach Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez.