Betty White Documentary Commemorating 100th Birthday to Screen as Planned in Theaters
Entertainment icon Betty White died on last Friday at the age of 99, but the celebration of her 100th birthday will still go on as planned. Betty White: 100 Years Young, a documentary originally set to screen in theaters for one night only on what would have been White's milestone birthday on January 17th will still screen as planned, according to producers of the film (via Deadline). On the Fathom Events site for the documentary, producers Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein issued a statement mourning White's passing, noting that they hope the documentary will "provide a way for all who loved her to celebrate her life—and experience what made her such a national treasure."
"Our hearts mourn today with the passing of Betty White. During the many years we worked with her, we developed a great love and admiration for Betty as a person, and as an accomplished entertainer," the statement reads. "We are thankful for the many decades of delight she brought to everyone. Betty always said she was the 'luckiest broad on two feet' to have had a career as long as she did. And honestly, we were the lucky ones to have had her for so long."
"We will go forward with our plans to show the film on January 17 in hopes our film will provide a way for all who loved her to celebrate her life—and experience what made her such a national treasure." the statement continued.
The documentary includes various highlights from Whites lengthy career in television as well as her telling stories about her life and clips from shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, Hot in Cleveland, SNL, the film The Proposal, and more. The documentary also features various figures talking about White's career, including Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Valerie Bertinelli, James Corden, Wendy Malick, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
The Golden Girls star and comedy icon died at the age of 99 on Friday, December 31st at her Los Angeles home. White was just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday. White had a long career in entertainment, getting her start in radio and as a disc-jockey personality before making the jump to the small screen in the late 1940s. She went on to earn the reputation of "The First Lady of Gameshows" for her stings on Password, Match Game, Tattletales, To Tell the Truth, The Hollywood Squares, and The $25,000 Pyramid. She also had several roles on television series, including as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and as Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls.
"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever," her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas shared with PEOPLE. "I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. 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."
Betty White: 100 Years Young – A Birthday Celebration will screen in select theaters for one day only, January 17th.