Betty White, the pioneering television star whose eight-decade career saw her bring to life some unforgettable roles such as Rose Nyland on “The Golden Girls” in the 80's and Sue Ann Niven on the “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the 70's and became a cultural icon in her 80s and 90s, has died less than three weeks before her 100th birthday. She also starred on "Hot in Cleveland" for 6 six years as Elka OStrovysky from 2015-2015.
Betty Marion White was born on January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois to Tess and Horace White. Tess was a homemaker, Horace was a salesman and an electrical engineer. When she was a year old, the family moved to Los Angeles, California, where she grew up and attended Horace Mann High School and later Beverly Hills High School, where she graduated in 1939.
Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Mike Lopez told The NY Post that officers responded to a radio call Friday at about 9:30 a.m. concerning “a natural death investigation” at the 99-year-old’s home in Brentwood, Calif.
White's Manager and longtime friend Jeff Witjas issued a statement earlier today confirming Betty's death “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.”
White holds the record for the longest TV career of any entertainer. She made her debut in 1939 on a local Los Angeles TV broadcast just a few weeks before TV was introduced at the World's Fair. She then went on to appear as an actress, host and in guest star well into her 90s.
White was featured in a PEOPLE Magazine cover story just this week, barely 3 weeks ahead of her what would have been her 100th birthday on January 17.
"I'm so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age," White said during the recent interview. "It's amazing."
White's last credited acting role came in the 2019 television short series, Forky Asks A Question, where she revived her character Bitey White from the film Toy Story 4.