Just days away from her 100th birthday, actress and comedian Betty White passed away during the morning hours of Dec. 31, 2021. The actress was said to have suffered from a stroke six days prior to her death according to CNN.
White, best known for her roles in “Golden Girls,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Hot in Cleveland,” was honored with many accolades throughout the course of her career. Receiving recognition from organizations like the Emmy Awards and American Comedy Awards, White received three lifetime achievement awards with her last being received from the Women Film Critic Circle Awards in 2021.
On the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a sea of flowers, candles and plush stuffed animals formed as many fans gathered to share their condolences. It was not long before many noticed cracks on White’s star. Fans have taken to social media to share a petition nearing its goal of 25,000 signatures in efforts to replace White’s star after many attempts to repair it.
With the icon’s strong fan base, many are honoring her memory through viral content, including a video depicting White and Joan Rivers in a comedic roast from a 1983 appearance on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
In that same vein, the “Betty White Challenge” has encouraged fans to donate five dollars to their local pet rescue or animal shelter, in honor of White’s animal rights advocacy.
“In 2010, Betty established the Betty White Wildlife Fund in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and its detrimental effects on marine life. The fund today continues to address current and emerging wildlife health issues,” according to MorrisAnimalFoudation.org.
In her last public television appearance at the Emmy awards in 2018, White jokes, “It’s incredible that I’m still in this business…and you are still putting up with me. It’s incredible that you can stay in a career this long and still have people put up with you…I wish they did that at home!”
Through both her philanthropy and her performances, White’s legacy will live on as fans remember her.
Photo credit to Wikimedia 
