Betty White passed at 99 on Friday, and her agent and longtime friend Jeff Witjas opened up about how beloved the actress was throughout her career.
“She knew it, but I would tell her often,” Witjas said of the love and recognition of many fans, studios, and really anyone she crossed paths with. “Even when she wasn’t working, I said, ‘Betty, millions of people out there are still asking for you. You’re getting your fan letters, I’m getting offers for you.’”
“I don’t know if she ever embraced it, [or] really, really felt it. The extent of it. I really don’t,” he continued. “I would always reinforce it with her because I always felt she should know that. I never wanted her to think while she was sitting at home, that the world has passed her by. It never did.”
“Betty lived a great life and she lived a life that she chose. She was happy,” Witjas reflected on his dear friend. “Every time I told her, ‘Betty, you’re loved,’ she would look at me with a wry smile and say, ‘Really?’ I hope she knew. I think she did. It was something beyond love. We became really good friends and we always laughed no matter what we did. She was always positive and she always saw the bright side. She promised me she would live to 100 — and she almost did.”
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