“Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” Mr. Witjas told PEOPLE in a statement on Friday.

Also comedian, former model, and producer, Ms. White conducted a full career in Hollywood and gained international recognition for her hilarious turn as Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls in the ´80s.

Remembered for productions such as “The Golden Girls” and “Boston Legal”, Ms. White – born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois – was considered one of the longest-lived actresses worldwide, as well as one of the last survivors of the US television of ´50s.

In the Guinness World Records 2014, Ms. White was officially recognized as the longest-lived actress.

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