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The “Hot in Cleveland” and “The Golden Girls” star died weeks shy of her 100th birthday, according to her agent.
As the entertainment world mourns the loss of television's "Golden Girl" Betty White, animal rights advocates were mourning the loss of a friend who cared deeply for animals of all kinds, fluffy, furry, scaly or slithering.
Betty White worked with the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, The Morris Animal Foundation, African Wildlife Foundation, and Actors & Others for Animals.
She was inspired to lend her celebrity to provide a voice for animals, and brought much attention to the cause of animal welfare.
spcaLA president Madeline Bernstein
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles released a statement mourning her death, saying she was a "friend to animals" and had worked with the group to promote the humane treatment of animals since the 1940s.
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White's work with the Los Angeles Zoo began in 1966, when it opened. She officially became a Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association trustee in 1974.
“We are incredibly saddened to hear about Betty's passing this morning and want to offer our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we collectively mourn the loss of a true legend, on and off the screen,” states Tom Jacobson, president of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), the nonprofit partner of the Los Angeles Zoo. “Her work with the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association spans more than five decades, and we are grateful for her enduring friendship, lifelong advocacy for animals, and tireless dedication to supporting our mission,” he goes on to say.
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 11: Actress Betty White attends Betty “White Out” Tour at The Los Angeles Zoo with The Lifeline Program at Los Angeles Zoo on December 11, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brian To/Getty Images for The Lifeline Program)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 11: Actress Betty White attends the media preview for Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s Beastly Ball fundraiser at Los Angeles Zoo on June 11, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vincent Sandoval/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 20: Actress Betty White attends the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s (GLAZA) 45th Annual Beastly Ball at the Los Angeles Zoo on June 20, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 20: (L-R) Singer Lance Bass, actress Betty White (holding a Hyacinth Macaw) and 99 Cents only Stores Senior Vice President of Store Operations Jason Kidd attend The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s (GLAZA) 45th Annual Beastly Ball at the Los Angeles Zoo on June 20, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 21: A general atmosphere at the Betty White birthday celebrations with life-size cake at the Los Angeles Zoo on January 21, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 16: Actresses Sarah Michelle Gellar (L) and Betty White pose with Jacob, a Columbian Red Tail Boa Constrictor at the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s 42nd Annual Beastly Ball at the Los Angeles Zoo on June 16, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
She put the LA Zoo on the map when she starred in "Backstage at the Zoo," asking her celebrity friends like Mary Tyler Moore to star alongside her in the 90-minute special. White became chair of the GLAZA board in 2010.
In 2006, former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa dubbed her "Ambassador to the Animals."
"She cared deeply for all living creatures – including us. Her loss leaves a great hole in our hearts. The L.A. Zoo cannot thank Betty enough for her decades of support, and we share in this grief with all of you. There truly will never be another person like her," Denise M. Verret, CEO and director of the Los Angeles Zoo, said.
White worked to raise money for spcaLA, holding telethons and releasing PSA's.
"Betty and I would joke that she would outlive us all. She was inspired to lend her celebrity to provide a voice for animals, and brought much attention to the cause of animal welfare. We will miss our Friend for Life," said spcaLA president Madeline Bernstein.
The organization also said anyone wishing to donate in White's name could do so at spcaLA.com/donate.
spcaLA is saddened by the passing of Betty White, American actor and activist, and a friend to the animals. Since the 1940s, she worked with spcaLA to promote their humane treatment. Betty left us with so many memories, and will be greatly missed. https://t.co/IJzZonwtXSpic.twitter.com/3vBNzOSR2m
White died in her Brentwood home Dec. 31, 2021, and preliminary reports indicate she died of natural causes, the LAPD said.
Whether she portrayed a man-crazy hostess on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” or the goofy housemate on “The Golden Girls,” White was America's nonagenarian sweetheart.
"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever. 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," Betty White's Agent and close friend Jeff Witjas told NBC News.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also released a statement on the actress' death.
“Betty was a trailblazer, and easily one of the most beloved and lasting figures in television," Newsom said. "“But above all else, she was a beacon of hope throughout her career, bringing joy and humor to everything she did. Although she may not have been born here, she was a timeless Californian treasure, through and through, and was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2010."
ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images
Betty White smiles in a 1958 promotional photo. White, a beloved actor whose small screen career spanned well over eight decades, died 17 days before her 100th birthday.
Herb Ball/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
Betty White holds her dog Bandy at their home in this 1954 snap. White is a well known animal lover, having based much of her free time fundraising for animal causes and declining roles that features animal cruelty.
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Betty White jokes around in a May 5, 1957, promotional photoshoot for ABC’s “Date with the Angels.” Her quirky and saucy personality endeared her to the American public early into her career.
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Actor Betty White visits with the Los Angeles Angels as part of a promotion for ABC’s “Date with the Angels,” July 2, 1957, in which she starred alongside Bill Williams.
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Betty White smiles with her husband, game show host and actor Allen Ludden, in a 1960 photo. The pair were married from 1963 until Ludden’s death to cancer in 1981.
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Betty White smiles with her husband, game show host and actor Allen Ludden, in their home on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 1972. The pair were married from 1963 until Ludden’s death to cancer in 1981.
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Betty White and her husband Allen Ludden continue a two-year gin rummy battle in which she’s ahead by a cumulative 6,000 points, Westchester, New York, April 29, 1965. They do it professionally on TV. He’s the master of ceremonies on “Password,” and she makes frequent guest appearances on game shows. The couple plays games to relax at home.
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From left: Edward Asner, Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Knight hold their Emmy Awards at the 28th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on May 17, 1976, Los Angeles, California. The four played Lou Grant, Sue Ann Nivens, Mary Richards and Ted Baxter for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” respectively.
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Actor Betty White on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, with then guest-host David Letterman, March 26, 1979.
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Betty White walks towards the grave of her late husband Allen Ludden, in the company of Ludden’s mother. The 63-year-old died of cancer in Los Angeles on Tuesday and was buried in Mineral Point, Wisconsin – the town where he was born.
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From left: Betty White as Ellen Harper Jackson, Vicki Lawrence as Thelma “Mama” Crowley Harper, and Rue McClanahan as Aunt Fran Crowley for “Mama’s Family,” July 1983.
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From left: Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty and Betty White pose for a promotional poster for the first season of “Golden Girls,” April 22, 1985. The four would play the iconic quartet Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak, Blanche Devereaux, Sophia Petrillo and Rose Nylund from 1985 until the series’ end in 1992.
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Betty White, Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan during the The 6th Annual “TV Land Awards” in Santa Monica, California, June 8, 2008.
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Actors Betty White and Mary Tyler Moore present Tina Fey the Outstanding Comedy Series award for “30 Rock” onstage during the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre on Sept. 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
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Betty White seen in a May 31, 2009, photo. She still keeps an active career at 87, with her latest project playing an aging, truth telling, offthewall grandmother for “The Proposal.”
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Sandra Bullock and Betty White goof off onstage during the 2010 Teen Choice Awards at Gibson Amphitheatre on Aug. 8, 2010 in Universal City, California.
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Ryan Reynolds and Betty White appear as guests on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Sept. 22, 2010. The two actors, known for their off-beat, saucy personalities on and off the screen, amused themselves by referring to each other as “a past relationship” for the benefits of celebrity entertainment.
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Betty White arrives at the premiere of Touchstone Pictures’ “You Again,” Sept. 22, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. She remained a “national treasure” for her roles in “Golden Girls” and her off-beat, quirky personality with fans of all ages.
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Thomas Tidwell, left, and Hank Kashdan of the U.S. Forest Service pose for a photo with Betty White who was named an honorary Forest Ranger at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Nov. 9, 2010 in Washington, D.C.
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Betty White arrives at “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” Los Angeles Premiere at Universal Studios Hollywood on Feb. 19, 2012, in Universal City, California. She plays Grammy Norma on the animated film at the age of 90.
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Betty White, next to Lisa Vanderpump and Anderson Cooper, looks on as a man jumps out of a birthday cake at CBS Studios, Jan. 8, 2013 ,in New York City.
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Betty White accepts the award for Favorite TV Icon during The 41st Annual People’s Choice Awards at Nokia Theatre LA Live on Jan. 7, 2015, in Los Angeles, California.
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Betty White accepts Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award onstage during the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Warner Bros. Studios on April 26, 2015 in Burbank, California.
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Betty White’s star along the Hollywood Stars Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, seen on Sept. 10, 2017.
“The Hollywood community and fans around the world are in mourning the huge loss of our Golden Girl, Betty White, who gave so many of us so much joy throughout the years. Although, her star and the star of her late husband Allen Ludden are side by side it helps to know that she is now with her husband who she loved so much. We send our sincere condolences to her family. May she rest in peace," Walk of Fame Producer Ana Martinez said.
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An early television pioneer whose acting career spanned more than eight decades, Betty White died on Dec. 31, 2021 at the age of 99. She would have turned 100 in 17 days.
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Mike Groll/AP Photo
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Hal Holbrook holds his Emmy Awards at The 26th Emmy Awards on May 28, 1974, at Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles, California. The five-time Emmy awards winner, best known for his portrayals as Mark Twain and the Watergate whistleblower "Deep Throat," died at the age of 95 on Feb. 2, 2021.
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Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
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In this 2006 photo, John Reilly attends NBC's "Days of Our Lives" and "Passions" pre-Emmy party. Reilly, known for his roles in "General Hospital" and "Beverly Hills, 90210," died at age 84, his daughter announced on Instagram on Jan. 10, 2021.
Tommy Lasorda poses during a 1980 photo portrait session at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Lasorda, who had spent seven decades with the Dodgers as a player, scout, manager and executive, is most known for his time managing the team from 1976 to 1996, leading them to two World Series wins and two World Series losses. He died at 93, according to the Dodgers.
