Betty White was on TV since the beginning of TV. And in an industry where it’s often about being young and hot, White got more popular the older she got. The widely beloved actress was reported dead on Friday, at age 99. White’s agent, Jeff Witjas, first confirmed her death to People magazine.
White was best known for two characters: The first was Sue Ann Nivens from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. White called the character “your sickeningly sweet neighborhood nymphomaniac.” And then there was the naïve Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, whose greatest disappointment was losing her hometown’s Butter Queen pageant due to “churn tampering.”
White often played characters that seemed innocent on the surface. But underneath, there was something mischievous, even sexual going on. Hosting Saturday Night Live, she dropped double entendres during a spoof of NPR called “Delicious Dish,” joking that “my muffin hasn’t had a cherry since 1939.”
White was like a maiden aunt who loved to cut loose and say something outrageous, says Barry Monush. He’s a researcher at the Paley Center for Media. “I mean, that’s the type of relative, everybody loves relatives like that, the aunt who comes over and speaks her mind, you know, and yet is sweet at the same time.”
And White had been a part of the family — so to speak — for a long time. She was born January 17, 1922, into a family that loved outdoor activities like camping and hiking. Her parents also loved animals, and White was passionate about animal advocacy work throughout her life.
…