Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Betty White: Golden Girls star died of a stroke, death certificate shows

Beloved actor had a cerebrovascular accident six days before her death

Isobel Lewis
Monday 10 January 2022 21:44 GMT
Comments
Ryan Reynolds ‘feuds’ with ‘seething demon’ Betty White in The Proposal throwback
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Betty White died of a stroke, her death certificate has shown.

The Golden Girls star died peacefully in her sleep at her home” on New Year’s Eve aged 99, just weeks before her 100th birthday.

Now, White’s death certificate obtained by TMZ has shown that the actor had a cerebrovascular accident, or stroke, six days before her death.

A cerebrovascular accident occurs when blood stops flowing to part of the brain, damaging the tissue. The stroke is listed as her cause of death.

Sources close to the actor told the publication that White was “alert and coherent” after the stroke and confirmed that she died in her sleep.

Her death was first confirmed on 31 December by her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas, who said: “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever.”

Following news of White’s death, industry friends and fans celebrated the comedy icon’s legacy with heartfelt tributes on social media.

Ryan Reynolds, who co-starred with White in 2009 film The Proposal, tweeted: “The world looks different now. She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty. Now you know the secret.”

The star of tv shows like The Mandy Tyler Moore Show and Hot in Cleveland, White’s last film roles were in 2019 when she voiced the characters of Bitey White in Toy Story 4 and Sarah Vanderwhoozie in Trouble.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in