Betty White Dies: The 'Golden Girls'

Betty White, TV's perennial Golden Girl, has died. She was 99.

"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,"

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her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas told PEOPLE in a statement on Friday.

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"I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much.

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Early Life Born Jan. 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, Betty Marion White, an only child.

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Career Beginning White's career in entertainment began in the 1940s after she graduated from high school.

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[{"selector":"#anim-a34a9e14-54f1-4a0c-85c9-ee5d697d2c6f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(42.39661446745423%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6e25225c-ec8b-4434-8d4a-d3ea3814e8d5","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.33547%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .8, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7745d7fb-69b7-4cd0-af66-01883686755a","keyframes":{"transform":["rotateZ(-180deg)","rotateZ(0deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .5, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] "You better realize how good life is while it's happening," she said. "Because before you know it, it will all be gone."