Betty White's Agent Reveals What The Star Firmly Believed Before Her Death
When Betty White died on December 31, the whole world went into mourning. The beloved actor, who almost made it to her 100th birthday, died peacefully in her sleep, according to People, at her Los Angeles home. Since then, fans everywhere have been sharing stories about the former "Golden Girls" and "Hot in Cleveland" star, including her co-stars and friends. If there was ever a time for a rewatch of "The Golden Girls," the time is now, where viewers can celebrate the comedic brilliance of not just White, but her co-stars — Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty — too. Though White took on a vast number of roles over the years, her time as Rose Nylund in the 1980s and 1990s is arguably her most memorable, winning over viewers with her dimwitted charm as the character from St. Olaf, Minnesota.
White never took her career or her fame for granted, though. She was happy to tell anyone who would listen how much she absolutely loved her work and everything that came with it. She told USA Today in 2011 that she doesn't even think of her job as work. "It's fun," she said. "I'm so grateful for my good fortune. I'm the luckiest broad on two feet."
It was certainly her great love of show business mixed with her humor and charm that endeared her to fans of all ages over her decades-long career, and she knew just how much she was adored.
Betty White's agent says he always reminded the actor how much she was loved
Following her December 31 death, Betty White's agent and friend Jeff Witjas told People that he always made sure to tell the actor how much she was loved by her fans. "She knew it, but I would tell her often," he said. "Even when she wasn't working, I said, 'Betty, millions of people out there are still asking for you. You're getting your fan letters, I'm getting offers for you.' I don't know if she ever embraced it, [or] really, really felt it. The extent of it. I really don't. I would always reinforce it with her because I always felt she should know that. I never wanted her to think while she was sitting at home, that the world has passed her by. It never did."
Witjas also shared that White was always a positive person, always looking at the bright side of things, and even took the time to respond to fan letters up until she couldn't. "I know there was a period where she would address all the fan letters," Witjas told People. "I think, she just didn't have the energy to respond the way she used to. She was reading, she just lived her life."
The outpouring of love White has received since her death shows just a fraction of how much she impacted people's lives with her work. And thanks to the magic of television, we'll have White with us on screen and in our hearts forever.