By Shelby Goatz
With heavy hearts we say goodbye to the incomparable Betty White. Here are some facts about this golden girl!
Born January 17, 1922 as Betty Marion White – no, Betty isn’t short for “Elizabeth” – our golden queen has graced tv screens for 9 decades. She holds out for 1st place in our hearts and minds over the actual Queen Elizabeth.
Here are some things you may or may not know about the queen of our hearts:
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Yes, Betty was older than sliced bread. (Literally, Sliced bread was invented in 1928 by Otto Frederick Rohwedder) Nothing and no one else will ever be cooler.
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Is SNL’s oldest ever host.
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Originally was looked at for the role of Blanche on the Golden Girls, and Rue McClanahan was almost Rose!
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She wanted to be a forest ranger growing up. At that time, women were not allowed to do so, so she took up writing – which led to her interest in the performance arts
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During WW II, Betty volunteered with the American Women’s Voluntary Services where she transported military supplies throughout California
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She was married three times. First to Dick Barker in 1945. She divorced him a year later because he pressured her to stay on his chicken farm, instead of acting. Her third husband was “the love of her life”, Allen Ludden. She can be quoted from a Larry King interview “ Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?” On whether she would ever remarry.
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Was the first woman to ever produce a tv show, star in a sitcom and receive an Emmy nomination. She’s also technically the first woman ever on television, with an experimental broadcast in the 1930s.
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Saucy and sassy, an ardent supporter of animal rights, Betty White was an icon for as long as I can remember.
Forever in our hearts, thanks for keeping us smiling!