The legendary television icon Betty White passed away on Friday (Dec. 31) at the age of 99.
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After rising to fame on the '50s sitcom Life with Elizabeth, which she also helped produce, White would go on to become one of the most beloved and familiar faces on television. She had her own variety show, The Betty White Show, and made frequent appearances on game shows such as Password, before becoming a scene-stealer in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls.
"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever," Jeff Witjas, White's agent and friend, told PEOPLE in a statement. "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."
Country stars were among the many celebrities to remember White.
Dolly Parton
"While watching the news last night I learned of Betty White's passing," Parton wrote on social media. "Betty will live forever not only in this world but the world here after. I will always love her as we all will!
Read More: Betty White's Favorite Country Song is a Dolly Parton Classic
Bill Anderson
"I had the privilege of working alongside Betty White on many occasions back in my game show days of the late '70s and early '80s," Anderson said in a statement. "We appeared together on Match Game, Tattletales, and Password Plus, and she always went out of her way to make me feel welcome. She kept us all laughing with her incredible sense of humor, while at the same time always performing as the consummate professional. I feel so honored to have known her."
Naomi Judd
"Betty and I worked together at American Humane Association. We shared our passion rescuing abused animals," Judd said in a statement. "She may have looked like she'd just come from a bridge party, but then she'd crack a joke with a sexual innuendo. She was one of my role models. I also knew her late husband, Alan Luden when I was a contestant on Password."
