New Details Emerge About Betty White's Health Before Her Death

Fans are still heartbroken over the death of actor Betty White. The star was only weeks out from celebrating her 100th birthday before TMZ broke the news she had died. Fans hoped the day would never come that they would have to say goodbye to White, but the star's death has spotlighted her impact on audiences through the decades.

White had made viewers laugh on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Golden Girls," as well as an unforgettable hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live." "I feel so fortunate to have had such a great career as I've had for as long as I have," White said ahead of her 100th birthday celebration. Though her death is mourned by many, White didn't fear life's natural end, which she told CBS News she inherited from her mother. "She would always say, 'Nobody knows. People think they do, you can believe whatever you want to believe what happens at that last moment, but nobody ever knows until it happens,'" White recalled. "...Whenever we'd lose somebody, she'd always say, 'Now, they know the secret.'"

Perhaps White's zest for life is what kept her healthy for so long. Though White kept her personal life private before she died, new details have now emerged about the star's death, shedding light on White's health before her passing.

Betty White had a stroke in the days leading up to her death, TMZ reported January 10. According to the outlet, the actor suffered a stroke six days before she died — which, according to her death certificate, led to brain tissue damage. It's unknown at this time what White's state was after the stroke.

The outlet previously reported at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that White was taking quarantine very seriously and staying safe by limiting her contact with others. It was reported the star took it easy by completing crossword puzzles and watching television. Unfortunately, the star spent her final years in isolation due to the pandemic away from the home she built with her late husband, Allen Ludden. 

"She never wanted to leave her home in Carmel, [California], but was forced to for at-home care," an insider told The New York Post, adding that her new Los Angeles residence was more accessible for her needs. "If she had it her way, Betty would've lived and died in that home [in Carmel]. It's the home she shared with her husband, it's where she felt more comfortable."