On January 17th, the renowned Comedic actress Betty White was due to celebrate her 100th birthday. Almost everyone was raring to celebrate with her, however, the comedy legend has died at the age of 99.
Cause of Death
The "Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Golden Girls" star Betty White has died at the age of 99, People magazine reported.
On Friday morning, two weeks before she would have been 100, White passed away at her home.
The Los Angeles Police Department revealed to Us Magazine that officers responded to the actress' home at 9:37 a.m. local time on Friday, December 31.
"It appears to be natural cause of death with no evidence of foul play," the LAPD tells Us.
Jeff Witjas, White's agent and longtime friend, announced her death in a statement.
"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever," Witjas told People magazine. "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."
It can be remembered that the "Proposal" actress told Entertainment Tonight only two days before her death that she was "amazed" by the prospect of living to be 100 years old.
"No, seriously, I'm the luckiest broad on two feet to be as healthy as I am and to feel as good as I do!" she said on Wednesday, December 29.
White Excited and Happy to Be 100
White also joked to People that the key to her good health at her age is to "try to avoid anything green."
White had a long and successful acting career, winning eight Emmys, a Grammy, and three SAG Awards along the way. Many other women who aspired to work in broadcasting were inspired by her example, and she is often regarded as a television pioneer.
White began her career in 1939 when she sang an abridged rendition of Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow on an experimental television transmission in Oakland, Illinois, where she was born in 1922. On radio series like "The Great Gildersleeve" and ads for the American Women's Voluntary Service, White was able to find work after the Second World War. When she co-hosted "Hollywood on Television" from 1949 to 1953 she was a regular on-air presence.
"With no script to fall back on, it was like walking along the edge of a cliff in a high wind - there was nothing to hang on to but your mental editor," she recalled in her memoir "Here We Go Again: My Life in Television" in 1995.
It can also be recalled that many things have been planned in accordance with the expectation that the actress will live to a hundred and beyond.
Centennial Birthday Plans Canceled?
Just in time for White's centennial, a new coffee table book honoring her life and achievements was released.
A veteran entertainment writer has written a book on White's early days in Hollywood, including a variety-talk program he hosted. Ray Richmond's book, "Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life," includes interviews with Carol Burnett and Candice Bergen.
Over the course of more than half a century, her dry humor helped bring a diverse cast of characters to life.
In addition, a large-scale theatrical production taking place around the country For her 100th birthday celebration, "Betty White: 100 Years Young - A Birthday Celebration" was slated for January 17.
Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Robert Redford, and Morgan Freeman will all make appearances in the one-day-only movie extravaganza honoring the actress's career highlights. After White's death, it's not apparent if those intentions have changed.