Former United States President Jimmy Carter died at his home on Sunday, his foundation the Carter Center announced. He was 100 years old.

A member of the Democratic Party, Carter became the 39th president of the US in January 1977.

He died nearly 22 months after entering hospice care. He had been suffering from melanoma, a type of skin cancer that had spread to his liver and brain.

Carter’s single-term presidency was defined by the 1978 Camp David Accords, which facilitated a historic peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.

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The agreement had two parts – a framework for peace between Egypt and Israel, and a framework for negotiations on Palestinian autonomy. However, the latter yielded little progress, according to Time magazine.

According to multinational analytics company Gallup, Carter is among one of only five US presidents – along with Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, George HW Bush and George W Bush – to have their approval ratings fall below 30%.

After leaving the White House, Carter gained recognition as a global humanitarian. Along with his wife Rosalyn Smith, he founded The Carter Center in 1982, positioning themselves as “international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights”.

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He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development”.

On Monday, US President Joe Biden said the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”.

In a joint statement, the US president with his wife Jill Biden said they had lost a dear friend.

“With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us,” they said. “He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.”