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Topics: News, Politics, US News, World News, Social Media
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: News, Politics, US News, World News, Social Media
People have praised Jimmy Carter for his longevity as he was able to outlive at least two of the people who wrote his obituary.
Jimmy Carter was the oldest living former US president and since the news of his death, people across the world have begun reflecting on his life.
The Carter Center announced the death of the founder on December 29 and said he died peacefully at his home in Plains, the town where he was born in Georgia.
A statement said he was surrounded by his family and added ‘he was 100, the longest-lived president in US history.’
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Mr Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who was president between 1977 and 1981, is survived by his children Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
Both current president Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump offered up tributes to Carter.
Biden said: “Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian."
While Trump said: “[the challenges Mr Carter faced as president] came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.
"For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude."
Most interestingly, Carter’s longevity is exemplified in the fact that two journalists who wrote his obituary have died before the announcement of his death.
The New York Times obituary was written by Roy Reed, a Times correspondent who covered the South, died in 2017, at 87.
Edward Walsh, a former Washington Post reporter who co-bylined The Post’s obit, died in 2014 at 71.
While many people on social media have been stunned by this fact, many other people have pointed out that instances like this aren’t that rare.
One person wrote: “This is common everywhere or at least in free democratic countries. Newspapers, Networks and magazine have obituaries, video memorials, and editorials columns ready for anyone who has significant name recognition for when they pass away.”
Another commented “This actually isn't infrequent at the NYT; they have a huge file, often written decades before the deaths of famous people who live beyond 80. Still worth noting.”
A third wrote: “I worked on a Bill Clinton obit documentary about 15 years ago as the BBC keep up to date documentaries on anyone of note who might die, they then can air within a day.He was high on their list of potential deaths.”