With just a few days remaining in the year, one man has decided to make it his mission to protect Betty White from 2016's evil ways.
It's no secret it has been a rough year in terms of celebrity losses. From David Bowie and Alan Rickman in January to George Michael and Carrie Fisher in recent days, many high-profile, generation-defining stars have died in 2016. Prince, Florence Henderson, Gwen Ifill, Leonard Cohen, Gene Wilder, Alan Thicke and Muhammad Ali are just some of the notable figures we've lost over the last 12 months.
But as far as Demetrios Hrysikos is concerned, our nation's beloved grandmother will not be among them. On Tuesday, the South Carolina resident launched a crowdfunding campaign to protect the 94-year-old White, and promptly reached his $2,000 goal. (Within nearly 24 hours, 276 people had contributed about $2,900.)
"If she's OK with it, I will fly to where ever Betty White is and keep her safe till Jan 1, 2017." Hrysikos promised on the GoFundMe page.
Known for her roles on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Golden Girls," White's recent credits include starring in the series "Hot in Cleveland" as well as a guest spot on "Bones."
In the event that White would prefer not to have "a strange Greek standing guard outside her door," Hrysikos said all proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to the Spartanburg Little Theatre .
"2016 has taken so many great artists, and SLT helps support and nurture new budding talent in our town," Hrysikos explained in an update on GoFundMe. "I'd like to think that Betty, Carrie (Fisher), and (David) Bowie would be happy with any proceeds going to that cause, which I assure you it will!"
Not everyone was buying Hrysikos' generosity, though. "Such a scam. Donate to the theatre directly if you want to," one detractor wrote on the GoFundMe page.
But others defended the seemingly random act of kindness. As another commenter put it, "If I had the funds, I would donate just based on the fact that this wonderful man made me laugh during what is obviously one of the worst years."
