By Paige Dance | Copy Editor

   From being a successful actress to being an animal activist, Betty White lived through it all. 

   White peacefully passed away in her Brentwood home on Dec. 31 at age 99, due to a stroke which occurred a few days prior.

   White had been preparing to celebrate her 100th birthday on Jan. 17, which was celebrated with the film, “Betty White: A Celebration”. The film was shown in over 900 movie theaters across the nation. 

   “My 100th birthday… I cannot believe it is coming up…”, White tweeted on Dec. 28, just days before her death.

   Most famously known for her roles in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Golden Girls”, White had a wildly successful career. She won 27 awards, including multiple Emmys and a Grammy, and also had 57 award nominations. 

   “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” stated close friend Jeff Witjas to PEOPLE.com.

   White started her career on radio shows in the 1940s, and it was not until 1949 where she began her relationship with television, according to Britannica.com. The first show that she appeared on would be “Hollywood on Television”, which she became a regular on. 

   Not only was White a renowned actress, she was also a producer, as she was one of the first women to produce a sitcom, and an author, including works such as “If You Ask Me”, and, “Here We Go Again”. 

   Being alive for 99 years, White lived through many major events. As World War II was taking place, White volunteered with the American Women’s Voluntary Services, where she would transport supplies and dance for the troops, doing anything she could to help. 

   Along with that, one of White’s many talents was fighting for animal rights. White was passionate about bettering the Los Angeles Zoo and was on the zoo’s board for over 50 years. 

   Ryan Reynolds, actor and friend of White who worked together on the movie, “The Proposal”, tweeted, “She was great at defying expectations. She managed to grow old and somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty.”

   White was married three times, lastly to Allen Ludden from 1963 to 1981, and she lived in the house they built together in Carmela until she moved into her Brentwood home in 2020 during the pandemic. Having no children, White’s legend will continue throughout her many admirers and fans.      

     White said in a promotion for her birthday celebration, “I feel so fortunate to have had as great a career as I’ve had for as long as I had.”