“You better realize how good life is while it’s happening. Because before you know it, it will all be gone.” — Betty White

On December 31, 2021, Betty White was reported dead at 99 in her home in Los Angeles just 3 weeks before her 100th birthday. 

White was known for her iconic television roles such as the delightful Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls (1985-1992) and the lively Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973-1977).

She broke the 2014 Guinness World Record for the longest television career for a female entertainer as she had been working for about seven decades. Throughout her career, she won one competitive Daytime Emmy, five Primetime Emmys, a Los Angeles regional Emmy and a lifetime achievement Daytime Emmy. Her final Emmy was given to her after hosting the Mother’s Day special on Saturday Night Live in 2010.

White’s career began back in the 1940s when she began acting on different radio shows. She started appearing regularly on television in 1949 on Hollywood on Television as a “girl Friday.” As her career on television continued, she co founded Bandy Productions in 1952 where she produced her own projects.

1973 is the year she won her iconic role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and she eventually landed her own show, The Betty White Show  in 1977.

Arguably one of her most recognizable roles, The Golden Girls debuted in 1985 and served as a great success.

As the years led on, Betty White continued to appear on the screen with a major increase in popularity after her comical Super Bowl commercial performance in 2010. That same year, she became Saturday Night Live’s oldest host and starred as her witty character, Elsa in Hot in Cleveland.

She later became executive producer and hosted Betty White’s Off Their Rockers in 2012 and Betty White’s Smartest Animals in America in 2015.

Throughout her leading career in this industry, she managed to keep a positive attitude stating that “having a sense of humor is the key to a long and happy life.”