A false rumor claiming former President Jimmy Carter, aged 99 years old, has died, spread rapidly across social media this week. The misinformation originated from a fake letter that appeared to be an official statement from the “Office of Jimmy Carter.”
However, multiple reliable sources quickly stepped in to debunk the hoax.
The Carter Center, founded by the former president, confirmed to several news outlets that reports of Carter’s death were false. In an email to PolitiFact, the Center’s media office stated,
“The letter is false. There has been no announcement or change.”
Dr. Michael Raines, Jimmy Carter’s personal physician, also verified in an interview that the former president is still alive.
“Well, I can confirm that the reports out there are not true. President Carter has not had any significant health issues in the last three or four weeks. Or since the last time I saw him, and I am on the way there today to reevaluate him and make my usual visit with him. He is doing as well as can be expected being in hospice, but he has not passed away.”
Additionally, Gray Television, parent company of WALB News, independently confirmed that the reports were a hoax.
The fake letter contained several telltale signs of its inauthenticity. It included typos, jokes, and inappropriate comments about Carter’s late wife Rosalynn and other first ladies. Despite these red flags, the hoax was widely shared on social media platforms, with even some public figures initially falling for the false information before retracting their posts.
Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981, has been in hospice care since February 2023. His most recent public appearance was at memorial services for his late wife Rosalynn, where he was seen in a wheelchair.
