Golden Girls actor Betty White has died at the age of 99.
The star, whose acting career spanned more than nine decades, was just weeks away from celebrating her 100th birthday.
Her agent and friend Jeff Witjas said in a statement to People: “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.”
In a final tweet sent on Tuesday, the star said she couldn’t believe her 100th birthday was coming up.
Born in Illinois on 17 January 1922, Betty’s career kicked off in LA in the 1930s when she became a radio star.
She made the move into TV where she became a regular face on the American game show circuit, so much so that she was known as “the first lady of game show”.
She became the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1983.
She went on to appear in hit US sitcoms including Hot In Cleveland, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Betty White Show and Life With Elizabeth.
But it was her role as Rose Nylund in the 80s sitcom The Golden Girls that she is most loved and remembered for.
Starring alongside Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the four women’s characters revolved around three widows and one divorcée who shared a house in Miami, Florida.
The sitcom was a hit with viewers and critics alike and Betty won five Primetime Emmy Awards out of 21 nominations, and a handful of other top accolades.
Betty was named the female entertainer with the longest television career by Guinness World Records, having started out in 1939.
Explaining in 2011 how she kept up her frantic pace even as an octogenarian, she explained that she only needed four hours of sleep each night.
And when asked how she had managed to be universally loved during her decades-spanning career, she summed up with a dimpled smile: “I just make it my business to get along with people so I can have fun. It’s that simple.”
Stars from the entertainment world have paid tribute since the news of Betty’s death was announced...
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❤https://t.co/7wpeLHgySy
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) December 31, 2021
Tonight we will raise MANY glasses to the WONDERFUL legacy of Betty White!!!
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) December 31, 2021
