Series star
Private funeral for “Golden Girls” star Betty White
According to her wishes, Betty White is only buried in private. Photo: Rene Macura / AP / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Betty White, who died at the age of 99, probably had precise ideas about her burial. They are now supposed to be fulfilled, which means that there is no big event.
The death of the “Golden Girls” actress Betty White on New Year’s Eve, just two and a half weeks before her 100th birthday, triggered mourning worldwide. But there will probably not be a public funeral with the participation of friends and colleagues.
“Betty never wanted that,” said her long-time manager Jeff Witjas on Friday on the US program “Inside Edition”. Vitjas explained that she did not want people to make a big fuss about her. The funeral will therefore be very private and small.
Up until the very end he saw White as optimistic and humorous, said Vitjas. You read a lot and put puzzles together. White, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday on January 17th, died on December 31st. Many celebrities and fans took part and expressed their grief, including fellow actor Ryan Reynolds (“Itself is the bride”) or pop singer Cher and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Planned film about White’s life
White became world famous for her role as the naive widow Rose Nylund in the sitcom “Golden Girls”, which was broadcast in the USA from 1985 and from 1990 also in Germany. All of her colleagues from back then were long dead: serial mother Estelle Getty (Sophia) died in 2008 at the age of 84, Beatrice Arthur (Dorothy) in 2009 at the age of 86 and Rue McClanahan (Blanche) in 2010 at the age of 76.
A film about White’s life that has long been planned as a birthday tribute is due to be shown in hundreds of cinemas in the United States on January 17th. Colleagues like Reynolds, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and Carol Burnett have their say. White’s hometown of Oak Park in the US state of Illinois also wants to commemorate the actress with a small celebration on the weekend before her 100th birthday (January 15/16).
White worked in the film and television business for more than 75 years, making it into the Guinness Book of Records – as a TV entertainer with the longest career. White was married three times and had no children.