Betty White, 99, passed from natural causes at her Brentwood, California home, in the early morning hours of December 31, 2022.
Betty Marion White Ludden (January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian.[1][2] A pioneer of early television, with a career spanning over seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment industry. She was among the first women to exert control in front of and behind the camera,[3] and the first woman to produce a sitcom (Life with Elizabeth),[4] which contributed to her being named honorary Mayor of Hollywood in 1955.[5] Her most notable roles include Sue Ann Nivens on the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–1977), Rose Nylund on the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–1992), and Elka Ostrovsky on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015).
White was eight years old when she made her radio programming debut as a guest caller in 1930. Several years later in young adulthood she began working as a radio personality in Los Angeles under the guidance of disc jockey Al Jarvis. After making the transition to television, White became a staple panelist of American game shows, including Password, Match Game, Tattletales, To Tell the Truth, The Hollywood Squares, and The $25,000 Pyramid; dubbed “the first lady of game shows”, White became the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host for the show Just Men! in 1983.[6] She was also known for her appearances on The Bold and the Beautiful, Boston Legal, The Carol Burnett Show, and Saturday Night Live.
With a television career spanning over nine decades, White worked longer in that medium than anyone else in the television industry, earning her a Guinness World Record in 2018.[7][8][9] White received eight Emmy Awards in various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award.[10] She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was a 1985 Television Hall of Fame inductee.
May her family, friends and fans have comfort now in this time of loss. She entertained generations of people who now share the pain of her loss together. She championed the causes of women, race equality, LGBTQ+, and animal rights among so many others.
She was a female trailblazer in TV as one of the first female producers and yielded her power to further the career possibilities of others.
May Bety White rest in peace, and may we all hold on to her energy, hope and joy. #StayGolden.
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