(NewsNation Now) — In the wake of Betty White’s passing, fans and fellow comedians are sharing their goodbyes alongside some of their favorite memories of the TV and film icon, who died just weeks before her 100th birthday.
White was the lone surviving member of the four famed on-screen friends that starred in the Primetime Emmy Award-winning “Golden Girls.” She is perhaps best known, however, for her role as Sue Ann Nivens in the classic sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” More recently, White starred as Elka Ostrovsky on the TV series “Hot in Cleveland.”
News of her death on Friday, confirmed by her agent and longtime friend Jeff Witjas, elicited mournful reactions from fans and colleagues.
“Our Sue Ann Nivens, our beloved Rose Nylund, has joined the heavens to delight the stars with her inimitable style, humor, and charm,” actor George Takei said on Twitter.
“Thank you for yur humor, your warmth and your activism,” actor Henry Winkler wrote.
White was preparing to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday on Jan. 17. A limited release of “Betty White: 100 Years Young — a Birthday Celebration” is slated to premiere Jan. 17, starring White’s friends and colleagues, including Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey and Carol Burnett.
“The world looks different now,” Reynolds posted to Twitter Friday. “She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty. Now you know the secret.”
“What an exceptional life,” Ellen DeGeneres wrote on Twitter. “I’m grateful for every second I got to spend with Betty White.”
White passed peacefully, said Witjas, who told NewsNation that he never thought the revered comedian would die.
“I think this is part of Betty’s sense of humor,” Witjas said. “She’s pulling something on all of us.”
President Joe Biden said “Betty White brought a smile to the lips of generations of Americans.”
“Late Night” host Seth Meyers recalled White as the only “Saturday Night Live” host to receive a standing ovation at the show’s after-party, where he said she ordered vodka and a hot dog.
Television’s “Wonder Woman” actress Lynda Carter called White “a vanguard who paved the way for women in TV.”
A champion for animals’ rights and a supporter of the LGBT community, White also is mourned by groups such as the ASPCA and GLAAD