Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds have paid tribute to veteran actress Betty White following her death on Friday.
White, who was best known for her roles in TV sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, died at her home on Friday morning at the age of 99. She was due to celebrate her 100th birthday on 17 January.
Confirming the news in a statement to People, her friend and agent Jeff Witjas said, "Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever... 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."
Following the announcement, Bullock and Reynolds, who starred alongside White in 2009's The Proposal, paid tribute to the late actress.
"I don't drink vodka... but I will tonight, on ice, with a slice of lemon with a hot dog on the other side and just be okay being sad," Bullock told People. "I'll have to buy some rose-coloured glasses because Betty was that for all of us."
Sharing a photo of White giving two thumbs up to a camera, Reynolds wrote on social media, "The world looks different now. She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We'll miss you, Betty. Now you know the secret."
White's death sparked an outpouring of tributes on social media - U.S. President Joe Biden called her "a cultural icon who will be sorely missed", talk show host Ellen DeGeneres tweeted that she was "grateful for every second I got to spend with Betty White", and comedian Mel Brooks wrote, "Too bad we couldn't get another ten years of her always warm, gracious, and witty personality. She was one of a kind!"
Reese Witherspoon thanked White for "making us all laugh" and Oprah Winfrey shared a photo of her with White and posted, "Celebrating 99 years of your love on the planet. Thank you Betty White."
White's other TV credits include Hot in Cleveland, Life with Elizabeth, Boston Legal, and The Betty White Show. In 2018, she was awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest TV career by an entertainer (female) in recognition of her 79 years in showbiz. She received a total of eight Emmy Awards and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in the '80s.
White is survived by her three stepchildren from her marriage to game show host Ludden, who died in 1981.
