Betty White was just a little over two weeks away from her 100th birthday — and she planned to celebrate in a huge way.
According to CNN, a movie special titled Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration was planned for the “Golden Girls” actress, who died on Friday (Dec. 31), to commemorate her 100th birthday on Jan. 17. The film, which was created by Mike Trinklein and Steve Boettcher, follows White in her day-to-day life and was slated to hit 900 theaters across the country. It was also going to show live footage of her actual birthday bash.
“Who doesn’t love a party?!? This one is gonna be GREAT!” the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” actress said in a statement to the outlet last week.
A star-studded list of White’s closest friends, including Morgan Freeman, Tina Fey, Jimmy Kimmel, Ryan Reynolds, Carol Burnett, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, Jay Leno, Craig Ferguson, Valerie Bertinelli, James Corden, Lin Manuel- Miranda, Wendy Malick, and others, were scheduled to partake.
As REVOLT previously reported, White passed away on Friday (Dec. 31) at her home. Her close friend and agent Jeff Witjas revealed the sad news in a statement to People.
“Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” Witjas said. “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.”
Since news of her death surfaced, several people took to social media to send their condolences and remember the Emmy Award-winning actress. Former “Reading Rainbow” host LeVar Burton tweeted, “Y’all, with the passing of #BettyWhite we have lost one of the best humans ever!”
Boettcher and Trinklein said in a statement that they will move forward with their plans to show the movie on Jan. 17 “in hopes our film will provide a way for all who loved her to celebrate her life — and experience what made her such a national treasure.”