Three days after Betty White passed away at the age of 99, her agent has confirmed the actress’s cause of death to People. As Mamas Uncut previously reported, Betty White and her many, many fans and admirers were anxiously awaiting to celebrate her 100th birthday when her unexpected passing shocked the world.
Betty White’s Beloved Agent Confirms the Icon’s Cause of Death
The comedian would have been 100 years old on January 17. Now, her agent and close friend, Jeff Witjas, is confirming that Betty White did die “peacefully in her sleep at her home early [Friday] morning.”
In an earlier statement to People, Witjas said something we all likely believed. “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” Witjas admitted. “I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don’t think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again.”
Considering her last interview before her passing was White talking about how good she felt, her death did come as a shock, despite her age. While talking with People about her upcoming birthday, the star said she was “so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age. It’s amazing.”
She even joked about her secret to a long a fulfilling life which included being a “cockeyed optimist,” avoiding “anything green,” and always celebrating with vodka on the rocks with a lemon peel and a hot dog on the side! White sure knew how to live a beautiful life.
RELATED: Did Betty White Have Children? Not Biological, But She Loved Being a Step Mom
And as the world continues to remember Betty White, one story, in particular, seems to have held focus. As USA Today reports, back in the 1950s, White was the star of her very own self-named show, The Betty White Show.
During the time that it aired, segregation was still a major issue in America, but Betty was still persistent in making sure that Black dancer Arthur Duncan was featured on her show. As a result, White was encouraged to take him off the show due to the color of his skin, USA Today reported.
However, she declined. “I’m sorry, but, you know, he stays,” she told them.
Duncan himself also talked about his relationship with Betty while a guest on Steve Harvey’s show, Little Big Shots: Forever Young. “I was on the show, and they had some letters out of Mississippi and elsewhere that some of the stations would not carry the show if I was permitted to stay on there,” Duncan revealed.“
Well, Betty wrote back and said, ‘Needless to say, we used Arthur Duncan every opportunity we could.’” And Betty did just that. Duncan became a regular on her show before it was ultimately canceled in 1954, USA Today reported.
Harvey reunited Duncan and White 60 years after the show was canceled. “God, I think I am ready to go now,” Duncan said after getting to embrace White again.
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