Award-winning US actress Betty White has died - just weeks before her 100th birthday.
The former Golden Girls star died at her home on Friday morning, sources told TMZ.
Screen veteran White played Rose Nylund in the classic sitcom Golden Girls, which ran for seven seasons and 180 episodes between 1985 and 1992, the Daily Star reports.
The star's agent and close friend Jeff Witjas confirmed her death in a statement to People magazine, saying: "I will miss her terribly. 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."
In a television career spanning more than 80 years, she also appeared in hit US sitcoms including Hot In Cleveland, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Betty White Show and Life With Elizabeth.
She was named the female entertainer with the longest television career by Guinness World Records, having started out in 1939.
White – who wrote several books over the years – earned herself five Primetime Emmy Awards out of 21 nominations, and a handful of other top gongs.
She also played Ryan Reynolds’ grandmother in 2009 romantic comedy The Proposal, while Sandra Bullock played his love interest, earning herself a Golden Globe nomination.
She was due to celebrate her centennial birthday on January 17.
White told People magazine in an interview about turning 100: “I’m so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age. It’s amazing.
“I try to avoid anything green. I think it’s working.”
She said being “born a cockeyed optimist” was the key to her upbeat nature.
“I got it from my mom, and that never changed. I always find the positive,” she added.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
