By Bill Trott

Betty White was a comedian and actress who ended a more than 80-year career by being America’s sweetheart. She won Emmys for her roles in television sitcoms “The Golden Girls,” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” People magazine reports that she died on Friday.

Jeff Witjas, her agent and close friend, told the magazine that Betty would be 100 in a few months. However, he believed she would still live to see another day.

White is an anomaly. She was a superstar in her 60s, and an icon of pop culture in her 80s.

White was still in the lead role in “Hot in Cleveland,” an American TV sitcom that White starred in at age 1992. It was cancelled in 2014 due to her imminent popularity.

White explained that White’s longevity is due to good health, luck and love of her work.

White stated that it was amazing that she is still in the business, and that people are still supporting me. She made this statement during a 2018 Emmy Awards appearance. “It is amazing to be able to stay in this career for so long without having people tolerate you. They should do that at home.

White didn’t hesitate to make fun of herself, telling jokes about her sexual life and making snarky remarks that you wouldn’t expect from an elderly white-haired woman. White was often asked whether she wanted to continue her career after such a long time. Her standard answer was “Robert Redford.”

“Old age hasn’t diminished her,” the New York Times wrote in 2013. It has brought her back to life.

Betty Marion White, who was born Jan. 17th, 1922 in Oak Park (Illinois), and her family moved from Oak Park to Los Angeles during Great Depression. There, she graduated from Beverly Hills High School.

White began her radio career in late 1930s. By 1939, she had her first TV appearance singing on an experimental channel in Los Angeles. She was an American Women’s Voluntary Service soldier, helping the U.S. in World War Two. In 1949, White became a regular on Hollywood on Television, a five-hour daily live variety program.

She co-founded the production company, and was also the co-creator, producer, and star of “Life with Elizabeth” in 1950s television.

White could be seen on TV regularly throughout the 1960s and 1970s. She hosted coverage of the Tournament of Rose Parade, and appeared on shows like Match Game and Password. White married Allen Ludden in 1963.

White was an actress who achieved new success with “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” where she played the role of Sue Ann Nivens. She is a host of a TV show about how to make a house a reality. White was nominated for Emmys in 1976 and 1975 as best supporting actress.

In 1986, she won an Emmy for her role in “The Golden Girls”, a sitcom that focused on four elderly women who live together in Miami. This show featured an older demographic not often seen in American TV. White was also nominated six times for the Emmy for portraying Rose Nylund (a sweet, naive, and ditzy Midwesterner) on the series, which ran between 1985 and 1992. It was among the most popular shows of all time.

Following a disappointing sequel to “The Golden Girls,” she appeared in a few small movies and made a handful of appearances on talk-shows. One role that earned her Emmy was a guest spot on “The John Lorquette Show”.

In 2009 she had become a well-known actress with many television appearances. She also played a part in Sandra Bullock’s film, “The Proposal”. A Snickers commercial featuring her was a hit. She took a nasty tumble in the mud during a Super Bowl game.

An unassuming young woman started a Facebook campaign for White to host Saturday Night Live. She won an Emmy and appeared in all the sketches.

White won the Associated Press’ entertainer award in 2010, while White earned an 86 percent favorable rating in a Reuters/Ipsos 2011 poll.

White was known for his witty, brassy manner as the host of Betty White’s Off Their Rockers. This hidden camera show featured elderly actors pulling pranks at younger people.

It would be impossible to imagine that, not only would I be healthy but also be invited to work. White spoke in 2015 to Oprah Winfrey. In a 2015 interview, White stated that it was a privilege to have work to do.

White had no children and worked for animal welfare. A scene where a dog was dumped in a trash chute led to White refusing a part in “As Good as it Gets.”