Just before her 100th Birthday, beloved actress and comedian Betty White passed away on December 31st. White is known for starring in many shows and movies such as “The Golden Girls”, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, “The Lorax”, “Hot in Cleveland” and more. 

White was a trailblazer in the days of early television with her own show “The Betty White Show” and “Life with Elizabeth.” In more recent years, people knew her for a hilarious Snickers commercial that aired during the 2010 Superbowl and as host of Saturday Night Live. White was asked to host after her fans started a massive social media campaign expressing that she should star on the show. She became the oldest living person to ever host SNL. 

White is still on TV almost every day in Golden Girls reruns that air on different channels as well as Match Game reruns from the 1970s and other popular shows. 

She was born on January 17th, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois but her family moved to Los Angeles when she was very young. White was involved in many productions of TV shows over the years but first rose to fame as the character of Sue Ann Nivens on the Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970s. She married three times, but she considered her last husband, Allen Ludden, the “love of her life”; they were married in 1963 and were together until his death in 1981.

Betty White was a known animal lover and animal rights activist. She was involved in many organizations such as the American Humane Association and the Fund for Animals. In 2006, the Los Angeles Zoo named her an “ambassador to the animals”

Many people offered tributes including fans and other celebrities. Ryan Reynolds, who starred with her in the film, “The Proposal,” tweeted “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.” Seth Meyers who was on SNL before hosting his own show said White was “the only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party.”  President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden said they loved Betty White were sad at her death. 

The 2014 edition of “Guinness World Records” certified White as having the longest career for a female entertainer according to the New York Times. She won five Primetime Emmy awards and received a lifetime achievement Daytime Emmy in 2015.