Words: Alastair James; pictures: Instagram/@bettymwhite and YouTube
The actress and comedian, Betty White, has died at the age of 99, according to reports.
Known for iconic roles such as Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls and Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, White was referred to as ‘The First Lady of Television’ and had a television career spanning nine decades, which earned her a Guinness World Record in 2018 for working in the industry longer than anyone else.
The recipient of multiple other awards for her work, White passed away just weeks before her 100th birthday, which would have been on 17 January.
“I thought she would live forever”
News of White’s death was confirmed to Variety by White’s agent and friend, Jeff Witjas, on Friday (31 December)
Witjas said: “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever. I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don’t think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again.”
He also confirmed White’s death was not Covid-related.
The Illinois-born actress was born in 1922 and started her career at eight years old working in radio. As a young adult, she made her way into television, although her career was briefly paused during the Second World War as she volunteered with the American Women’s Voluntary Service.
Continuing after the war, White eventually received her first Emmy nomination in 1951 – the first time the Emmys had a category for women on television. She made her feature film debut in 1962’s Advise & Consent.
Recognized as one of the first women in television to take control and produce as well as act, White produced the TV sitcom Life with Elizabeth in 1953. The BBC reports White saying of her collaboration on the show with George Tibbles, “He wrote and I produced”.
But her most famous roles came in the 1970s. First, there was the sharp-witted Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, for which White was awarded another two Emmys.
Next came the role White is perhaps best known for – the delightfully innocent Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. Nylund lasted White through the 80s and into the 90s and led to another Emmy for White in 1986.
Her role in The Golden Girls also solidified White, as well as her costars Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, as gay icons.
In a 2014 interview, Betty White questioned homophobia when asked about the significance of the gay community throughout her career. She said: “I don’t care whom you sleep with. It’s ‘What kind of a human being are you?’ I don’t understand [why people are anti-gay], it’s such a personal private business and it’s none of mine.”
Following the end of The Golden Girls White took many a scene-stealing role in numerous TV shows and films, including 2009’s The Proposal opposite Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.
White joked to People magazine that Reynolds hadn’t got over an infatuation with her from their days on set saying, “I’ve heard Ryan [Reynolds] can’t get over his thing for me but Robert Redford is The One.”
In the same interview, ahead of the actress’ 100th birthday in January, White revealed her secrets to getting to 99, which she chalked up to being “born a cockeyed optimist,” adding “I always find the positive,” and joking that she avoids anything green.
Ryan Reynolds led tributes to White tweeting: “The world looks different now. She was great at defying expectations. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty. Now you know the secret.”
