Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday to be celebrated with musical gala

Former President Jimmy Carter greets attendees as he departs the funeral service for his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., Nov. 29, 2023. Former President Carter will be honored next month, ahead of his 100th birthday, with a musical gala at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, The Carter Center announced Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool, File)

Former President Jimmy Carter will be honored next month, ahead of his 100th birthday, with a musical gala at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, The Carter Center announced Thursday.

The Sept. 17 event — “Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song” — will feature musicians from a range of genres and celebrity guests. Carter’s birthday is Oct. 1.

Artists include Chuck Leavell, D-Nice, Drive-By Truckers, Eric Church, GROUPLOVE, Maren Morris and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus. Notable guests include former Atlanta Braves star Dale Murphy, Atlanta rap artist Killer Mike and actor Sean Penn. Other guests will be announced before the event, organizers said.

The 39th president, who served from 1977 to 1981, remains at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he has been receiving hospice care since February 2023. He was last seen publicly at funeral services for former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died in November.

FILE – Former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School class at the Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Ga., Aug. 23, 2015. Former President Carter will be honored next month, ahead of his 100th birthday, with a musical gala at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, The Carter Center announced Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

But those close to him say he remains in good spirits, sometimes receiving visitors, regularly watching Braves games on television and still enjoying music.

“Whether it was on his record players, on the campaign trail, or on the White House lawn, music has been and continues to be a source of joy, comfort and inspiration for my grandfather,” Jason Carter said in a statement.

Jason Carter chairs the governing board at the Carter Center, the human rights organization that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter launched in 1982, not long after leaving the White House.

The program at the Fox is expected to celebrate the Carters’ work advocating for human rights, public health and democracy around the world.

Tickets will cost $100 and will go on sale through the Fox Theatre box office at 10 a.m. on Aug. 5. Proceeds will benefit The Carter Center.

Separately, The Carter Center is soliciting messages for the former president from the public that will be fashioned into a digital mosaic, similar to what the center did for his 99th birthday celebration.