One of Betty White’s most celebrated roles is as Rose Nylund on the hit comedy series The Golden Girls, and some of those who knew her very well from their days working together on the sitcom are now paying tribute. On the final day of 2021, it was announced that White had passed away at the age of 99, dying just weeks before her 100th birthday. White was the oldest of the four lead cast members, but she was also the longest surviving of them all.
White was always fantastic on screen, but she also took an interest in what went on behind the scenes of The Golden Girls. Sharing some memories of working with White to Variety, executive producer Tony Thomas explained how Whtie would often come in on Monday mornings to look into the overnight ratings following the episodes of the show airing on Saturday nights. The two had made natural friends as they had come up in television and had a lot of the same interests.
The Golden Girls writer Stan Zimmerman, who worked on the first season with James Berg, also spoke about his memories of White. As far as Zimmerman is concerned, White’s talent helped make The Golden Girls become such the hit that it was. He also recalls how White always had a “special connection” with the studio audience any time they were filming back in those days.
Fans of The Golden Girls will know how Rose Nylund often liked to talk about the things that happened back in her hometown of St. Olaf, a fictional Minnesota town. These anecdotes would become a recurring joke throughout the entire show’s run, but it wasn’t necessarily designed that way from the start. As Zimmerman says, that came about because of the hilarious way White delivered the first reference to St. Olaf, and they knew they had something special to use with Rose.
Thomas also speaks to the timeless humor exhibited with the program, thanks in part to Betty White’s ability to make anyone laugh.
Recently, White’s agent said how he always told her how much she was loved and appreciated, believing she knew it. Thomas backs up this sentiment, expressing that White always showed her gratitude to everyone. He also doesn’t think you could ever find anyone who would disagree with that.
There will never be another Betty White, and the comedy legend will forever be missed. Rest in peace.
