Betty White (1922-2021) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 12-31-2021, 03:54 PM

https://tvline.com/2021/12/31/betty-...rls-star-dies/

Legendary actress, producer, animal-rights activist and all-around sweetheart Betty White died Friday at the age of 99.

“Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” said Jeff Witjas, White’s agent and friend, in a statement to People on Friday. “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.”

In this week’s People cover story celebrating White’s approaching centennial (she was to turn 100 on Jan. 17), the icon said, “I’m so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age. It’s amazing.”

The Oak Park, Ill., native — best known for playing mantrap Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973-77) and ditzy Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls (1985-92) — got her big break on the small screen in 1949, when she began co-hosting Al Jarvis’ live variety show, Hollywood on Television. Just two years later, she was nominated for her first Primetime Emmy Award and co-founded her own production company, which, a year after that, created Life With Elizabeth, a syndicated comedy showcasing one of her Hollywood on Television characters.

Though White broke into feature films in 1962 and went on to appear in successful movies such as Lake Placid (1999) and The Proposal (2009), it was on the small screen that she found her greatest successes — often just by being herself. During her almost two-decade run as the hostess of the Tournament of Roses Parade, she became a fixture on both late-night talk shows and daytime game shows — in particular Password, whose host, Ludden, she married in 1963.

After winning back-to-back Emmys in 1975 and ’76 for her portrayal of “The Happy Homemaker” on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, White starred in her own sitcom, the short-lived Betty White Show, and began a 10-year stint as the hostess of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 1983, she became the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host (for Just Men!) and started recurring on Mama’s Family as Ellen Harper Jackson, the snooty character she’d originated on The Carol Burnett Show.

When The Golden Girls ended its run in 1992, White — who’d won the 1986 Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series and earned six more nominations for her work as sunny Rose — joined Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty on the short-lived spin-off The Golden Palace. But, whether she had a regular role, White never seemed to slow down. Between guest spots on everything from The John Larroquette Show (which netted her another Emmy in 1993) to Bones (2015), she tackled recurring parts on Boston Legal (2005-08) and The Bold and the Beautiful (2006), and scored another Emmy for hosting Saturday Night Live (2010).

That same year, White turned a one-off appearance in the pilot for Hot in Cleveland into a five-year run as bawdy Elka Ostrovsky. As if that wasn’t enough, from 2012-14, she also hosted and executive-produced Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, which allowed seniors to prank young whippersnappers, and earned a Grammy for the spoken-word recording of her best-seller, If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t).

Among her other accolades are a Lifetime Achievement Award (presented at the 2015 Daytime Emmys), a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (right next to Ludden’s) and inclusion (as of 2014) in the Guinness World Records book as the record-holder for Longest TV Career for an Entertainer (Female).

Throughout her life and career, White — who had no children (but was stepmother to Ludden’s three kids from his first marriage) — was a staunch animal-rights activist. Not only was she a sponsor of both the Farm Animal Reform Movement and Friends of Animals, but she wrote Betty White’s Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care of Us, and donated all the proceeds from her clothing line and 2011 calendar to animal charities.

In recent years, People’s cover story reported, White had been living a “quiet life” at home of crossword puzzles, playing card games, watching Jeopardy! and continuing her animal welfare advocacy. Longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, prior to his own passing in 2020, said of his possible successor as host, “It’s probably going to be a woman, she’ll have to be bright, she’ll have to have a good sense of humor… Uhhhh, let’s see…. Betty White is my choice

opus · 12-31-2021, 04:06 PM

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Merry24 · 12-31-2021, 04:12 PM

Her and Allan are together. Thanks for being a friend.

GhostAura · 12-31-2021, 04:20 PM

Betty White … seen her in so many different roles. Incredible career. Her portrayal of Sue Ann Nivens on Mary Tyler Moore, however, stands out most in my memory. Positively inspired.

JR1 · 12-31-2021, 04:33 PM

Every time a celebrity would pass in recent years, I'd expect it to be Betty, because, really, not many make it to her age range.

Such a great comedic actress and personality. I never really watched The Mary Tyler Moore Show much, though The Golden Girls has been one of my favorites, if not the favorite, since it hit the airwaves. And I watched her on Hot in Cleveland, and always enjoyed her game-show appearances (especially Match Game).

RIP, Ms. White. Thank you. for being a (television) friend.

RetroGuy2000 · 12-31-2021, 04:33 PM

So sad. For me, she will always be Rose Nylund. But she really WAS television.

mikey0581 · 12-31-2021, 04:35 PM

Such sad sad news. Rest in Peace my favorite Golden Girl your with Allen now. I haven't felt a death like this since my grandma and Lucille Ball. Just tragic. I am seeing her movie on Jan. 17 it is going to be a sad day now. We will miss your acting. One of a kind.

80sTrivia · 12-31-2021, 05:13 PM

Been crying for the past hour or so. Hoping to cheer up before midnight, but definitely planning on having a piece of cheesecake at midnight tonight.

Sgt. Saunders · 12-31-2021, 05:15 PM

Requiem aeternam, Ms. White.

Caroline13 · 12-31-2021, 05:21 PM

I'm not crying, I'm smiling. Making 99 yrs is a major milestone. What a wonderful life she had. Making that 100th yr party would have been great, but when the heart is done, it's done.

Rawr · 12-31-2021, 05:26 PM

How awful! Was so hoping she would get to celebrate her 100th birthday in a few weeks!

May she RIP. She had an INCREDIBLE life and career!

mikey0581 · 12-31-2021, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 80sTrivia

Been crying for the past hour or so. Hoping to cheer up before midnight, but definitely planning on having a piece of cheesecake at midnight tonight.

Ooh I have cheesecake with whipped cream, I will do that too. I am in mourning too.

I just read that her husband died in 1981 the year I was born. Here we are 40 years later. Sad.

Zoneboy · 12-31-2021, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 80sTrivia

Been crying for the past hour or so. Hoping to cheer up before midnight, but definitely planning on having a piece of cheesecake at midnight tonight.

My girlfriend and I are going to visit my mom today and she called me yesterday to let me know that she had 2 cheesecakes waiting for us. Oh the irony of it.

space1999 · 12-31-2021, 06:45 PM

99 years is not bad at all. Thanks for all the Love and Laughs, Betty. Rest in Paradise...

howierules86 · 12-31-2021, 07:31 PM

This news really hurts. R.I.P., Betty White.

12-31-2021, 03:54 PM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,342	Betty White (1922-2021) https://tvline.com/2021/12/31/betty-...rls-star-dies/ Legendary actress, producer, animal-rights activist and all-around sweetheart Betty White died Friday at the age of 99. “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” said Jeff Witjas, White’s agent and friend, in a statement to People on Friday. “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.” In this week’s People cover story celebrating White’s approaching centennial (she was to turn 100 on Jan. 17), the icon said, “I’m so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age. It’s amazing.” The Oak Park, Ill., native — best known for playing mantrap Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973-77) and ditzy Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls (1985-92) — got her big break on the small screen in 1949, when she began co-hosting Al Jarvis’ live variety show, Hollywood on Television. Just two years later, she was nominated for her first Primetime Emmy Award and co-founded her own production company, which, a year after that, created Life With Elizabeth, a syndicated comedy showcasing one of her Hollywood on Television characters. Though White broke into feature films in 1962 and went on to appear in successful movies such as Lake Placid (1999) and The Proposal (2009), it was on the small screen that she found her greatest successes — often just by being herself. During her almost two-decade run as the hostess of the Tournament of Roses Parade, she became a fixture on both late-night talk shows and daytime game shows — in particular Password, whose host, Ludden, she married in 1963. After winning back-to-back Emmys in 1975 and ’76 for her portrayal of “The Happy Homemaker” on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, White starred in her own sitcom, the short-lived Betty White Show, and began a 10-year stint as the hostess of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 1983, she became the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host (for Just Men!) and started recurring on Mama’s Family as Ellen Harper Jackson, the snooty character she’d originated on The Carol Burnett Show. When The Golden Girls ended its run in 1992, White — who’d won the 1986 Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series and earned six more nominations for her work as sunny Rose — joined Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty on the short-lived spin-off The Golden Palace. But, whether she had a regular role, White never seemed to slow down. Between guest spots on everything from The John Larroquette Show (which netted her another Emmy in 1993) to Bones (2015), she tackled recurring parts on Boston Legal (2005-08) and The Bold and the Beautiful (2006), and scored another Emmy for hosting Saturday Night Live (2010). That same year, White turned a one-off appearance in the pilot for Hot in Cleveland into a five-year run as bawdy Elka Ostrovsky. As if that wasn’t enough, from 2012-14, she also hosted and executive-produced Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, which allowed seniors to prank young whippersnappers, and earned a Grammy for the spoken-word recording of her best-seller, If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t). Among her other accolades are a Lifetime Achievement Award (presented at the 2015 Daytime Emmys), a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (right next to Ludden’s) and inclusion (as of 2014) in the Guinness World Records book as the record-holder for Longest TV Career for an Entertainer (Female). Throughout her life and career, White — who had no children (but was stepmother to Ludden’s three kids from his first marriage) — was a staunch animal-rights activist. Not only was she a sponsor of both the Farm Animal Reform Movement and Friends of Animals, but she wrote Betty White’s Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care of Us, and donated all the proceeds from her clothing line and 2011 calendar to animal charities. In recent years, People’s cover story reported, White had been living a “quiet life” at home of crossword puzzles, playing card games, watching Jeopardy! and continuing her animal welfare advocacy. Longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, prior to his own passing in 2020, said of his possible successor as host, “It’s probably going to be a woman, she’ll have to be bright, she’ll have to have a good sense of humor… Uhhhh, let’s see…. Betty White is my choice

12-31-2021, 04:33 PM	#6
RetroGuy2000 Julie,Julie Anne,&Felice 4Ever Forum Star Join Date: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 16,914	So sad. For me, she will always be Rose Nylund. But she really WAS television. Attached Images
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12-31-2021, 05:13 PM	#8
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,715	Been crying for the past hour or so. Hoping to cheer up before midnight, but definitely planning on having a piece of cheesecake at midnight tonight. Attached Images
	__________________ Perfect Gift Books for Pop Culture Fanatics: Thank You for Being a Friend: A Golden Girls Trivia Book The Bouquet Residence: A Keeping Up Appearances Trivia Book Cooking With the Golden Girls: Fun & Delicious Recipes from a Hilarious Miami Kitchen Love in the Afternoon: The Ultimate Soap Opera Trivia Book The Last Great Decade: The Ultimate 90s Trivia Book Betty White: A Celebration

12-31-2021, 05:21 PM	#10
Caroline13 Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Jan 30, 2021 Location: So Calif Posts: 14,483	I'm not crying, I'm smiling. Making 99 yrs is a major milestone. What a wonderful life she had. Making that 100th yr party would have been great, but when the heart is done, it's done.
	__________________ Inexpensive Health Insurance = Grape Seed Extract Keep It Simple

12-31-2021, 07:31 PM	#15
howierules86 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 05, 2007 Location: Opelika, AL Posts: 29,471	This news really hurts. R.I.P., Betty White.
	__________________ I love me some Susanna Hoffs - http://www.susannahoffs.com And many other very talented ladies too.

12-31-2021, 04:06 PM	#2
opus VB Forum Superstar Join Date: May 16, 2015 Location: VB Galaxy Posts: 32,146	Embedded Tweet

12-31-2021, 04:12 PM	#3
Merry24 Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 10, 2017 Location: beach Posts: 2,036	Her and Allan are together. Thanks for being a friend.

12-31-2021, 04:20 PM	#4
GhostAura Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 28, 2021 Posts: 18	Betty White … seen her in so many different roles. Incredible career. Her portrayal of Sue Ann Nivens on Mary Tyler Moore, however, stands out most in my memory. Positively inspired.

12-31-2021, 04:33 PM	#5
JR1 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 07, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 742	Every time a celebrity would pass in recent years, I'd expect it to be Betty, because, really, not many make it to her age range. Such a great comedic actress and personality. I never really watched The Mary Tyler Moore Show much, though The Golden Girls has been one of my favorites, if not the favorite, since it hit the airwaves. And I watched her on Hot in Cleveland, and always enjoyed her game-show appearances (especially Match Game). RIP, Ms. White. Thank you. for being a (television) friend.

12-31-2021, 04:35 PM	#7
mikey0581 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 14, 2017 Location: wisconsin Posts: 365	Such sad sad news. Rest in Peace my favorite Golden Girl your with Allen now. I haven't felt a death like this since my grandma and Lucille Ball. Just tragic. I am seeing her movie on Jan. 17 it is going to be a sad day now. We will miss your acting. One of a kind.

12-31-2021, 05:15 PM	#9
Sgt. Saunders Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 27, 2021 Location: The Garden State Posts: 540	Requiem aeternam, Ms. White.

12-31-2021, 05:26 PM	#11
Rawr Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 05, 2015 Posts: 2,160	How awful! Was so hoping she would get to celebrate her 100th birthday in a few weeks! May she RIP. She had an INCREDIBLE life and career!

12-31-2021, 06:45 PM	#14
space1999 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 02, 2021 Location: Lost in Space Posts: 315	99 years is not bad at all. Thanks for all the Love and Laughs, Betty. Rest in Paradise...