Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Illinois Gov. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Johnson share tributes to late former President Jimmy Carter

CHICAGO (WLS) — Illinois and Chicago-area leaders are reacting Sunday to the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Carter, the former U.S. president known as a champion of international human rights both during and after his White House tenure and who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his lifetime of dedication to that cause, died Sunday at 100, ABC News has learned.

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Carter’s death was also announced by the Carter Center on X, which posted “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia.”

Tributes and statements from politicians continue to pour in Saturday evening.

Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama shared the following statement:

For decades, you could walk into Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia on some Sunday mornings and see hundreds of tourists from around the world crammed into the pews. And standing in front of them, asking with a wink if there were any visitors that morning, would be President Jimmy Carter – preparing to teach Sunday school, just like he had done for most of his adult life. Some who came to hear him speak were undoubtedly there because of what President Carter accomplished in his four years in the White House – the Camp David Accords he brokered that reshaped the Middle East; the work he did to diversify the federal judiciary, including nominating a pioneering women’s rights activist and lawyer named Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the federal bench; the environmental reforms he put in place, becoming one of the first leaders in the world to recognize the problem of climate change. Others were likely there because of what President Carter accomplished in the longest, and most impactful, post-presidency in American history – monitoring more than 100 elections around the world; helping virtually eliminate Guinea worm disease, an infection that had haunted Africa for centuries; becoming the only former president to earn a Nobel Peace Prize; and building or repairing thousands of homes in more than a dozen countries with his beloved Rosalynn as part of Habitat for Humanity. But I’m willing to bet that many people in that church on Sunday morning were there, at least in part, because of something more fundamental: President Carter’s decency. Elected in the shadow of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth. And he did – advocating for the public good, consequences be damned. He believed some things were more important than reelection – things like integrity, respect, and compassion. Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed anything, that we are all created in God’s image. Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. In his Nobel acceptance speech, President Carter said, “God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.” He made that choice again and again over the course of his 100 years, and the world is better for it. Maranatha Baptist Church will be a little quieter on Sundays, but President Carter will never be far away – buried alongside Rosalynn next to a willow tree down the road, his memory calling all of us to heed our better angels. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued the following statement:

“President Jimmy Carter truly exemplified what it meant to live a life full of service. His towering legacy of compassion for others set a standard that will always be remembered. My deepest condolences to the Carter family and their loved ones. May his memory be a blessing.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued the following statement:

“President Jimmy Carter lived the American dream in every way. His legacy of love and his service to God and country are admirable beyond measure. President Carter valiantly fought for human rights and peace across the world during his presidency and beyond. He continued to serve our country with honor after his presidency by dedicating his retirement to building affordable housing and empowering others to value service and care for our neighbors. President Carter was a personal inspiration to me, as a man of deep faith in the political arena, and his values remain a north star guiding us all. We can all take comfort that he is with his beloved wife Rosalynn and in peace.”