Golden Girls star Betty White has passed away at the age of 99.
The American actress, whose career spanned more than eight decades, passed away on Friday morning just weeks before her hundredth birthday.
Her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas told People magazine: “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever.”
Born in Illinois in 1922, the eight-time Emmy winner booked her first radio commercial straight out of high school in 1939 – and got her first big break on the silver screen a decade later, when she became a $50-a-week sidekick to a local Los Angeles TV personality.
Beginning in the infancy of broadcast television, White’s career has endured well into the age of cable and streaming.
A powerhouse behind the camera as well as in front of it, she became the first woman to produce a sitcom with 1953’s Life with Elizabeth, in which she also starred.
Defying a TV industry obsessed with youth, the actress took on the role of the bawdy Sue Ann on 1970s CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show at the age of 51, adding two Emmy awards to her collection.
Her best-known role came aged 63, playing the oddball Rose Nylund on NBC’s long-running retirement home sitcom The Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992.
Her later TV roles also included stints on 2000s Boston Legal and Hot In Cleveland, while her renowned profanity was introduced to new generations when she became the face of a 2010 Snickers advert.
Last week, the actress had announced plans for a TV special to mark her 100th birthday on 17 January, titled Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration.
Speaking to People magazine last week, she had said: “I’m so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age. It’s amazing.”
‘Unproblematic for 99.9 years’
Tributes have poured in for the actress, who was also known for her humanitarianism and animal philanthropy.
President Joe Biden said: “Betty White brought a smile to the lips of generations of Americans. She’s a cultural icon who will be sorely missed.
“Jill and I are thinking of her family and all those who loved her this New Year’s Eve.”
Her friend Kathy Griffin recalled her first encounter with White on the set of 90s sitcom Suddenly Susan, as the actress loudly vented about “that redheaded b***h who stole my parking spot”.
She wrote: “She hung out with my mom, like a peer. She treated me like we were in the same club or something. She actually treated me like an equal in the comedy gurrrl world.
“She was as sharp and funny as she was soft and wise and no matter how long this world continues to spin, there will be only one Betty White.”
Writer Roxane Gay tweeted: “RIP to Betty White who was charming, delightful, hilarious, talented and unproblematic for 99.9 years.”
Ryan Reynolds, who acted alongside White in the 2009 film The Proposal, said on Twitter: “The world looks different now. She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty. Now you know the secret.”
Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt shared a tearful video tribute to White on her Instagram account in which she described the star as “my angel”.
She said: “When I was a kid, I watched Golden Girls with my grandmother and I fell in love with Betty White and then I got to work with her and I fell in love with her for real. I had the greatest honour and pleasure of being really close with her and calling her a real good friend, one of my best friends.”
Reese Witherspoon tweeted: “So sad to hear about Betty White passing. I loved watching her characters that brought so much joy. Thank you, Betty, for making us all laugh!”
Bridesmaids director Paul Feig tweeted: “So sad to hear comedy legend Betty White has passed. It’s hard to imagine a world without her. It’ll be a much less funny place, that’s for sure. RIP Genius Betty.”
Viola Davis wrote on Twitter: “RIP Betty White! Man did I think you would live forever. You blew a huge hole in this world that will inspire generations. Rest in glorious peace … you’ve earned your wings.”
