Beloved Golden Girls star, Emmy and Grammy winner and national treasure Betty White died Friday in her Carmel, California, home, just weeks before her 100th birthday. Her agent confirmed her death to People.
White was an American icon and trailblazer. In 1951, she was one of the Emmys’ first ever best actress nominees; a year later, she starred in and produced the sitcom Life With Elizabeth, making her one of the first women in Hollywood to be in front of and behind the camera on a syndicated series. She appeared in countless other scripted, variety and late-night shows, but soon became best known for her iconic roles in two series: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in the ’70s, and The Golden Girls, in the ’80s. In 2010, she became Saturday Night Live’s oldest guest host and won her fifth Emmy, for Outstanding Guest Actress.
Whether you’ve been a loyal fan since her Happy Homemaker days or discovered her more recently, revisit White’s life and decades-spanning, record-breaking career with the documentary Betty White: First Lady of Television. The film explores White’s earliest projects, career highlights, and impact on co-stars, other actors and the ever-changing world of scripted and unscripted TV. What better way to honor a legend and celebrate her legacy?
