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Aired October 1, 2005 - 21:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, Jeni Stepanek -- her unforgettable, inspirational son Mattie Stepanek, the best-selling poet and peacemaker, died in her arms last year before he could even turn 14. She's keeping his legacy alive. Plus, gorgeous exercise guru Denise Austin says you can eat carbs and lose weight. All that and lots more, next on LARRY KING LIVE. (BEGIN INTERVIEW) Great pleasure to welcome to LARRY KING LIVE a good friend, great lady --...

Jimmy Carter provides us all with moments that make us wonder about what was in the drinking water back in 1976. The funeral of a stricken child in Maryland provided yet one more infamy to add to that list. The encounter went as follows: Mattie J.T. Stepanek, a 13-year-old Rockville, Md., boy who "wrote books of inspirational poems that climbed the bestseller charts," died last week of muscular dystrophy. Among those attending his funeral, the Washington Post reports, was Jimmy Carter... Why would Jimmy Carter go to such trouble? To hurl more invective at President Bush. The man has stooped...

<p>Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, spoke of . . . Mattie's devotion to peace. "He was deeply aware of global affairs," Carter said, recalling that Mattie was in Children's Hospital's intensive care unit when the war in Iraq began last year.</p>

Poet, peacemaker and precocious teen Mattie J.T. Stepanek was laid to rest in Maryland today in a ceremony befitting an icon, while people across the nation continued to pay tribute and celebrate the 13-year-old MDA National Goodwill Ambassador&#8217;s remarkable life and spirit. Celebrities, Mattie&#8217;s friends and loved ones, and other admirers made up the thousands who gathered at St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church in Wheaton, Md., to remember, honor and laugh at memories of Mattie, who wowed the world with his message of peace, hope and courage. Former President Jimmy Carter delivered the eulogy for Mattie, with whom he&#8217;d enjoyed...

Child Prodigy Poet Dies of Muscular Dystrophy Wed Jun 23, 2:50 AM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mattie Stepanek, 13-year-old poet and advocate for muscular dystrophy patients, died in Washington on Tuesday of a rare form of the disease, a hospital statement said. Stepanek, of Rockville, Maryland, began writing poetry at the age of three and became a national celebrity in 2001 after publication of "Heartsongs," a volume of inspirational poems. It was the first of five books of poetry he had published and the first to be listed on The New York Times best-seller list. "Mattie loved to be referred...

Memorial on CNN right now...RIP...an incredible soul

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Mattie Stepanek, the child poet whose inspirational verse made him a best-selling writer and a prominent advocate for muscular dystrophy, died Tuesday from complications of the disease. He was 13. Mattie died at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, the hospital said. "Mattie was something special, something very special," Muscular Dystrophy Association National Chairman Jerry Lewis said in a statement. "His example made people want to reach for the best within themselves. It was easy to forget how sick he was because his megawatt personality just made you want to smile. Mattie had dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy, a...