Legendary actress Betty White passes away at the age of 99
Jan 1, 2022 1:11:13 GMT -5
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Post by The Crone on Jan 1, 2022 1:11:13 GMT -5
Legendary actress Betty White passes away at the age of 99
Betty White Dies: The Golden Girls and Mary Tyler Moore Show Star Was 99
"Even though Betty was about to be 100 in just two weeks, I thought she would live forever," Betty White's agent and close friend Jeff Witjas tells PEOPLE in a statement.
Witjas adds, "Betty died peacefully in her sleep at her home early this morning."
White was gearing up to celebrate her 100th birthday on Jan. 17. Ahead of her centennial year, in a cover story, White opened up to PEOPLE about how she was feeling about turning 100 years old.
"I'm so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age," said the veteran actress. "It's amazing."
According to White, being "born a cockeyed optimist" was the key to her upbeat nature. "I got it from my mom, and that never changed," she said. "I always find the positive."
Of course, the iconic actress also cracked a joke about the secret to her long life, telling PEOPLE: "I try to avoid anything green. I think it's working."
"We are deeply saddened by the news of Betty White's passing," said PEOPLE editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford. "We are honored that she recently chose to work with PEOPLE to celebrate her extraordinary life.
White was a warm and popular presence on the small screen, with a career that dated back to the early days of the medium and that spanned decades. Long before her hilarious turns on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the '70s and The Golden Girls in the '80s, in 1952 she appeared in the I Love Lucy-like Life with Elizabeth, a show she also produced.
In 2010, at age 87, she enjoyed an awards-laden resurgence, when, after starring on a Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl, polls and petitions overwhelmingly named her the public's choice to host Saturday Night Live, emcee various awards shows and even be a sergeant's date at a Marine Corps ball.
After that, she went on to star and steal scenes on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland, even scoring an Emmy nomination — her 17th, including seven wins. In May 2012 she also debuted on the NBC comedy reality show Betty White's Off Their Rockers, a kind of geriatric Punk'd. As always, she proved a favorite. But her passion was always animal welfare; the dues for her fan club, Bet's Pets, went to animal rescue charities, and she received many accolades for her work for animals.
"I'm the luckiest person in the world. My life is divided in absolute half: half animals, half show business," White once told TV Guide. "I have to stay in show business to pay for my animal work!"
"Even though Betty was about to be 100 in just two weeks, I thought she would live forever," Betty White's agent and close friend Jeff Witjas tells PEOPLE in a statement.
Witjas adds, "Betty died peacefully in her sleep at her home early this morning."
White was gearing up to celebrate her 100th birthday on Jan. 17. Ahead of her centennial year, in a cover story, White opened up to PEOPLE about how she was feeling about turning 100 years old.
"I'm so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age," said the veteran actress. "It's amazing."
According to White, being "born a cockeyed optimist" was the key to her upbeat nature. "I got it from my mom, and that never changed," she said. "I always find the positive."
Of course, the iconic actress also cracked a joke about the secret to her long life, telling PEOPLE: "I try to avoid anything green. I think it's working."
"We are deeply saddened by the news of Betty White's passing," said PEOPLE editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford. "We are honored that she recently chose to work with PEOPLE to celebrate her extraordinary life.
White was a warm and popular presence on the small screen, with a career that dated back to the early days of the medium and that spanned decades. Long before her hilarious turns on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the '70s and The Golden Girls in the '80s, in 1952 she appeared in the I Love Lucy-like Life with Elizabeth, a show she also produced.
In 2010, at age 87, she enjoyed an awards-laden resurgence, when, after starring on a Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl, polls and petitions overwhelmingly named her the public's choice to host Saturday Night Live, emcee various awards shows and even be a sergeant's date at a Marine Corps ball.
After that, she went on to star and steal scenes on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland, even scoring an Emmy nomination — her 17th, including seven wins. In May 2012 she also debuted on the NBC comedy reality show Betty White's Off Their Rockers, a kind of geriatric Punk'd. As always, she proved a favorite. But her passion was always animal welfare; the dues for her fan club, Bet's Pets, went to animal rescue charities, and she received many accolades for her work for animals.
"I'm the luckiest person in the world. My life is divided in absolute half: half animals, half show business," White once told TV Guide. "I have to stay in show business to pay for my animal work!"
