Just weeks away from celebrating her 100th birthday, Betty White has passed away.

On Friday (Dec. 31), the acting legend's close friend and agent Jeff Witjas confirmed her death to People only 17 days shy of her centennial birthday.

"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever," Witjas told the outlet. "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."

Thousands upon thousands of fans and celebrities alike paid tribute to the comedian on social media.

White's former The Proposal co-star Ryan Reynolds paid tribute to her in a sweet tweet.

"The world looks different now. She was great at defying expectation," he wrote. "She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty. Now you know the secret."

Seth Meyers noted that the Golden Girl was the only Saturday Night Live host that he has seen get a standing ovation at the after-party.

Ellen DeGeneres said that she was "grateful for every second I got to spend with Betty White."

Steve Martin told the story of when White and her husband Allen Ludden attended his stand-up special back in 1974 when he opened up for Linda Ronstadt at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. He was a huge fan of her work and went up to her to introduce himself. In reality, White was there to see Martin, who was only up and coming at the time. 

See some of the celebrity condolences, below.

 

Stars We Lost in 2021

 

 

More From Mix 92.3