Golden Girls actress Betty White passes away aged 99

Betty White, the actress from 1980s sitcom ‘The Golden Girls’ has passed away aged 99

After a sparkling career spanning more than eight decades, Hollywood icon Betty White, best known as ‘Rose Nylund’ from 1980s sitcom ‘The Golden Girls’, has passed away today, Friday, December 31, at the age of 99. She was due to celebrate her 100th birthday on January 17.

White played the character of ‘Rose’ in 180 episodes over seven seasons, between 1985 and 1992, in the NBC hit show.

In a recent interview with People magazine, the 99-year-old told them, “I’m so lucky to be in such good health, and feel so good at this age. It’s amazing”, joking, “I try to avoid anything green. I think it’s working”.

Claiming to have inherited her upbeat nature from her mother, the soon-to-be centenarian said she would “always find the positive”, after being “born a cockeyed optimist”.

In a television career that started out with a television appearance in 1939, it has since spanned more than 80 years. This led to her entry into the Guinness World Records in 2014, for being the female entertainer with the longest television career.

World War II interrupted her early stab at success before 1949 saw her settling into work on the radio, along with a return to Hollywood and Television. She had parts in numerous US sitcoms, including ‘Life With Elizabeth’, ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’, ‘Hot In Cleveland’, and, ‘The Betty White Show’.

During her sparkling career, Ms White has been nominated 21 times for an Emmy, picking up five, along with other top awards.

In the 2009 romantic comedy, ‘The Proposal‘, she played the grandmother of Ryan Reynolds‘ character, with Sandra Bullock cast as Margaret, his love interest. “Timing isn’t easy in comedy, because you have to navigate other people’s timing. Betty pivots like I have never seen, making it look seamless”, said the 57-year-old Bullock.

Adding, “The rest of us just remain silent, and pray we’re not cut out of the scene”. Ms Bullock continued by saying she hopes Ms White will embrace her birthday, “in the same way she has celebrated every day of her life, with humour, kindness, and a vodka on ice, toasting to the fact that she’s a badass who has left us all in the dust”.

Ryan Reynolds, who at age 45, admits to being a lifelong fan, recalled, “‘I heard that scripts for Golden Girls were only 35 pages, which makes sense, because so many of the laughs come from Betty simply looking at her castmates”, as reported by metro.co.uk.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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