(Fwrd Axis) — Entertainment icon and comedian Betty White passed away at age 99 just weeks before her 100th birthday on Jan. 17., it has been confirmed.
White’s close friend and agent Jeff Witjas confirmed the news in a statement.
“Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” Witjas said. “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’s television career expanded to roles on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1973-1977), “The Golden Girls” (1985-1992), and “Hot in Cleveland” (2010-2015). White also co-hosted NBC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1963 to 1972 before joining “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in 1973.
When asked about what has kept her going so long, White told People Magazine and joked “never eat anything green”.
“Hot In Cleveland” premiered on TV Land starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, and Wendie Malick as three past-their-prime show-biz veterans who move to Cleveland to escape Hollywood. They were met by White’s widow character, which was turned into a series regular later.
White married three times but never remarried after her husband, game show host Allen Ludden, died of stomach cancer in 1981. White told NBC’s “The TODAY Show” she regretted not marrying him sooner.
“I’m actually the luckiest old broad alive. Half my life is working in a profession I love and the other half is working with animals. I couldn’t ask for more,” White said of her charity work.
