January 10, 2022
Fans of the late Betty White have found a great way to honor the beloved actress and animal activist, reports Good Morning America.
The Betty White Challenge—an online event set for January 17, on what would’ve been the TV icon’s 100th birthday—has been gaining steam among fans online. The social media challenge encourages people to donate $5 to animal rescues or shelters in her name.
Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane, told Good Morning America on Thursday, January 6, that the organization already has “seen … an uptick in donations” following White’s death.
White, best known for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls,” was known for her love of animals.
In 2011, she published a book, “Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) in which she spoke about her work with animal nonprofits.
White died on December 31 at the age of 99. Jeff Witjas, her close friend and agent, told ABC News that the Emmy winner died of natural causes in her sleep in her own bed.
“Betty didn’t have illnesses. She didn’t have anything. People are putting it out there that she had the booster on Dec. 28 and that she had [side] effects. She never had a booster,” Witjas added. “They’re politicizing her death, and they shouldn’t do that, because she wasn’t that type of person in life.”
Witjas told ABC News that he visited White in her home about a month before she died and found her to be “all there,” albeit physically frail. “We were laughing, her sense of humor was there,” he said.
Research contact: @GMA
