The wife of former United States President, Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter has died at the age of 96 on Sunday.

Her death was announced by the Carter Center two days after she entered hospice care at the couple’s home in Plains, Georgia.

Hospice care is specialized care that provides physical comfort and emotional, social and spiritual support for people nearing the end of life.

The former US First Lady is survived by her husband, four children, 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a legacy of mental health advocacy.

According to the UK Independent, Jimmy Carter, 99, who is also in hospice care, paid tribute to his wife in the Carter Center statement, saying: “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished.

“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.”

The couple’s son Chip Carter said: “Besides being a loving mother and extraordinary First Lady, my mother was a great humanitarian in her own right. Her life of service and compassion was an example for all Americans.”

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.”

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