Entertainment
Betty White dead: Henry Winkler leads tributes as Golden Girls star dies aged 99
The legendary Betty White was going to turn 100 in January (Picture: Amanda Edwards/WireImage)
Henry Winkler is among those paying tribute to the late Betty White following her death at 99 years old, just a few weeks away from her 100th birthday.
On Friday December 31, the Golden Girls star died at her home, law enforcement sources stated.
Her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas paid tribute to her in a statement to People, saying he will ‘miss her terribly’.
‘Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,’ he 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.’
Tributes have come pouring in for the Hollywood icon, with Happy Days star Winkler saying it is ‘very hard to absorb’ that she is ‘not here anymore’.
‘Thank you for your humor, your warmth and your activism .. Rest now and say Hi to Bill,’ he tweeted.
Actor and TV host LeVar Burton tweeted: ‘Y’all, with the passing of #BettyWhite we have lost one of the best humans ever!’
CNN anchor Don Lemon expressed his sadness, writing: ‘Noooooooooo. Say it isn’t so,’ with a broken heart emoji.
Former Star Trek actor George Takei paid homage to the ‘national treasure’, stating: ‘Our Sue Ann Nivens, our beloved Rose Nylund, has joined the heavens to delight the stars with her inimitable style, humor, and charm. A great loss to us all. We shall miss her dearly.’
Comedian Kathy Griffin recalled the first time that she met White, when the actor was as guest star on Suddenly Susan in the late 1990s.
‘I had accidentally parked in her parking spot that day. She walks in, yells from the back of the soundstage for everyone to hear “Where’s that redheaded b***h who stole my parking spot???” SWOON. A friendship was born,’ she said.
White’s career spanned over 75 years, with her first professional job in the entertainment industry dating back to 1939.
She was regarded fondly as America’s grandmother, thanks to her sweet nature and bubbly personality.
More: Celebrity Deaths
The actress became one of the first women ever to star and produce her own TV show, Life with Elizabeth, in 1952.
Her biggest roles included starring on The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1973 to 1977 and – of course – as Rose on Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992.
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