Betty White Dies at 99
2021 has delivered its final blow as the legendary actress and comedian, Betty White, has died. She was 99 years old.
TMZ is the first to report the news this afternoon that the legendary actress died at her home in California this morning.
Her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas confirmed the news to PEOPLE Magazine this afternoon.
"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever," Witjas told PEOPLE on Friday. "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 would have turned 100 years old on January 17. A celebration was planned in movie theaters across the country to mark the occasion.
Betty's career spanned nearly 80 years in television, known for her roles in programs like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Hot in Cleveland. She may be most remembered, however, for her role as the lovable (but often naive) Rose Nylund on the NBC sitcom 'The Golden Girls' in the 1980s.
White was about to celebrate her 100th birthday on January 17, and even appears on the cover of PEOPLE Magazine this week. She told the magazine that she was looking forward to her birthday.
"I'm so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age. It's amazing," White told the publication, which is on newsstands now.
In 2010, White appeared in a Snickers commercial, which launched a bit of a resurgence of her career.
An internet movement started calling on the then 87-year-old to hit Saturday Night Live. White's episode of Saturday Night Live resulted in some of the show's highest ratings.
Celebrities across the world are mourning White's passing. Even President Joe Biden and the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden reflected on her passing, according to CNN.
"Who didn't love Betty White? We're so sad about her death," Dr. Biden said.
A cause of death was not immediately clear.