by Actress Betty White, who has served the American TV industry almost industriously for more than a record 30 years, passed away in her home on New year’s Eve quite peacefully and in her sleep. She was 99.
The death of her news was made public by the actress and comedian’s long time agent and very close friend, Jeff Witjas in a statement on New Year. White was supposedly gearing up to celebrate her centennial birthday on January 17 and had seemed pretty elated by the prospect of living up to a 100 years. In a recent interview that had surfaced after her death, she was interrogated by a reporter as to how she felt on living this long and making it to a century. White was happy as a lark as she put to words her satisfaction and excitement. “I’m so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age,” she said in the interview. “It’s amazing.”
White’s agent revealed that the veteran actress had passed away peacefully in her sleep due to natural causes and old age and there was absolutely no health issues as such with her. Shortly after the news of her death became public, rumours broke out how Betty did not receive her COVID- booster shot and wasn’t vaccinated. Fans attributed the cause of her death to covid induced health complications bit Jeff completely dismissed them. Admitting that Betty indeed wasn’t vaccinated against the viral infection, he nonetheless was of the opinion that she did not suffer from any of covid19 symptoms and was quite hale and hearty. Her death, then, though sudden, tragic and unexpected, was only due to natural causes and from her flailing age.
Clearing out all possible baseless speculations, the actress’ agent said in his post, “Betty died peacefully in her sleep at her home. People are saying her death was related to getting a booster shot three days earlier but that is not true. She died of natural causes. Her death should not be politicized — that is not the life she lived.”
“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,” Witjas added in his public statement.
Indeed Betty was a cockeyed optimist who never seemed daunted by the prospect of death. In a 2012 TimesTalks conversation with New York Times, she said she had “no fear or dread of death” to columnist Frank Bruni. She credited her mother for impacting her perspective on the matter of life and death and should the time come for her as well, she would have no regrets or fears in embracing the same. According to White’s mother, death was one secret that no one knew about and added, “So whenever we would lose somebody very close and very dear, she would always say, ‘Well, now he knows the secret.’ And it took the curse off of it somehow.”
Betty was not only a TV personality but also a definite feminist icon from her days, beloved by all, young or old. Soon after the Golden Girls’ actress’ death was made public, actor Ryan Reynolds took to Instagram to post about the loss. “She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty,” he said in his post.
White’s Hot in Cleveland costar Valerie Bertinelli had nothing but warm thoughts of her late friend as she took to social media to post about the times spent together. “Rest in peace, sweet Betty,” she wrote in her twitter handle adding, “My God, how bright heaven must be right now.”
