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Jimmy Carter announces the death of his grandson

Posted at 5:52 PM, Dec 20, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-20 17:52:50-05

Former President Jimmy Carter shared the news of his grandson's death during a Sunday sermon at his Georgia church. His grandson Jeremy was 28 years old.

Carter told the congregation at his Plains, Ga. church that Jeremy Carter had laid down to take a nap yesterday because he "wasn't feeling well." When his family attempted to wake him up a few hours later, his "heart had stopped beating."

The family attempted to resuscitate him with CPR, but Jeremy Carter was pronounced dead early Sunday morning at a hospital.

Video via NBC News.

According to a CNN report, a "shaken" Carter was still able to attend services and teach Sunday school just hours after his grandson's death.

"(President Carter) was shaken," Maranatha Baptist Church Rev. Jeremy Shoulta told CNN.. "He was obviously sad although he was able to teach and he was able to present the lesson as well as he always has. But it was apparent to everyone there that this was weighing on him very heavily."

Carter, 91, made headlines in August of this year when it was announced that he had been diagnosed with melanoma which had spread to his brain and liver. Earlier this month, he announced that he was cancer-free.

Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.