We were all taken by surprise to hear this sad news: Betty White has died at 99, just 18 days ahead of a huge milestone: her 100th birthday. The actress’ career spread over eight decades.
For the last month, there has been a lot of hype about Betty White turning 100. Everyone was invited to attend the festivities, and People magazine even put her on the cover of their latest issues, where she joked about her friendship with actor Ryan Reynolds. You can read more about it here.
A hugely beloved actress, she was highly beloved in the entertainment industry, also a landmark for women in the industry. Besides her career, White was also an activist for animals’ rights.
Her roles as Rose Nylund and Sue Ann Nivens in the beloved 1980s sitcom, Golden Girls, and the 1970s The Mary Tyler Moore Show were the ones that catapulted her to international fame. But all her achievements are impressive. She began her career in 1939, had a talk show in 1954 on NBC called The Betty White Show, and also starred and produced Life With Elizabeth at a time when sitcoms were relatively new. She was one of the first women to get full creative control both in front and behind the camera, paving the way for the future generation of actresses.
Her agent Jeff Witjas confirmed to People magazine that Betty White died on December 31, 2021. He gave a statement, saying: “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live for ever.”
In a different statement, her agent added that she died “peacefully in her sleep.”
Everyone was sad to hear the news of her death. But, if there’s a bright side, we could all agree that Betty White knew she people loved and appreciated her. So it won’t be a scenario where people appreciate her genius only post-mortem.
Rest in peace, Betty White.
