Rest in Peace, Betty White
Beloved actress Betty White passed away on December 31, 2021, just 17 days short of her 100th birthday, much to the shock of her many fans. In her remarkable show biz career that began in the 1940s and continued to the present, Betty White was best known to different generations in different roles. The common thread among her fans of whatever age was White’s ability to bring a smile to everyone’s face at just the mention of her name.
Betty White was born on January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois but she grew up in Los Angeles She began her career in radio in 1949, but soon ventured into television. Her first sitcom, “Life with Elizabeth”, is notable for several reasons: it made White one of the first female TV producers and she won the first of seven Emmy awards. Perhaps most interesting, White has stated that her given name at birth was Betty and not Elizabeth.
In the 50s and 60s, White appeared on various game shows and met “Password” host Allen Ludden, whom she married in 1963. It was her third marriage and Ludden’s second. It was also the last for both of them. White never remarried after Ludden’s death in 1981.
In the 70s, White played Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore” show for several years, as well as Joyce Whitman for one season on “The Betty White Show.” She was a regular on the popular “Match Game,” from 1973 to 1982. It is likely during the 80s that Betty White became good friends with beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who jokingly suggested her as his replacement in 2020.
From 1985 to 1992, White played Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls”, the ditzy native of St. Olaf. Her comedic talents really shone on this series, endearing her to many. Indeed, Rose Nylund is No. 1 (at approx. 22:00) in Mojo’s YouTube tribute to Betty White.
At the age of 88, Betty White was cast as Polish caretaker Elka Ostrovsky in the sitcom “Hot in Cleveland.” This was supposed to be a guest spot but, due to White’s popularity, the character became a regular in its 6-season run.
Rest in peace, Betty White. Thank you for being a friend and most of all, thank you for being you.
VJ, thank you for the fantastic tribute to Betty White. What a fantastic human being! RIP Betty. We will still celebrate you 17 January 2022.
She was a national treasure, and you’re right when you wrote that just the mention of her name would bring a smile to the masses. As you know, I host trivia events 3+ times a week at a variety of venues in my area, and one of my most popular topics/categories was “Older than Betty White”, which included me offering a set of similar items or products and the players had to guess which of the three was invented and introduced before Betty White was born. People LOVED that category because EVERYONE loved Betty White. (And I would be remiss if I failed to mention her passion for the care and safety of animals. What an amazing lady she was…)
Thank you for this column, VJ.
Thanks for the lovely tribute to our beloved Betty White, VJ. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that she had passed away, it still seems surreal to me . She was cherished by everyone and always will be remembered.