Thank You For Being A Friend

There are many tribrutes pouring far and wide about this talented actress and wonderful human being. This post will be my tribute to Betty White who passed away on New Years Eve.

The opening line to the Golden Girls’ theme is: thank you for being a friend. As a kid, The Golden Girls was one of my favourite shows to watch growing up. Now that might sound weird for a millennial or 90’s kid to say, but remember waking up every Saturday morning and watching it with my Nan on the Sky box. There was some great shows we used to watch together which included old comedies that she liked. Golden Girls was one of them and by far one of my favorites.

You a show is great is when you connect with the characters so much they they feel like a part of your furniture. Even if they’re fictional, you could see yourself getting along with them over coffee and cheesecake. All of the main stars in the Golden Girls won prestigious awards for their roles, as they passed on one by one until Betty left, many saw her as an immortal figure much like the Queen of England.

The Golden Girls was ahead of its time. It still feels fresh, genuine and captures the warmth of American culture. It broke stereotypes and openly discussed LGBTQ characters at a time where people were scared to. As an early advocate for diversion and inclusivity, Betty White naturally shined in her role as Rose.

Through her long career, Betty White had become the grandmother of Hollywood. She was a household name in her own right. Outside of show business, she was an active campaigner for animal rights, gay rights and told off racists. Her shameless condemning of racism and homophobia in the 1950s at a time where it was acceptable to be racist shows how awesome she is, and why people still love her to this day.

Rose is Betty White’s most well known roles. Little did I know was that she had been in the industry for decades and was very outspoken for her time. Betty White was the last remaining golden girl. Her character Rose was one of my favourites. I thought her stories of St. Olaf were hilarious and were a great contrast to the sarcastic Dorothy and the nymphomanic Blanch.

People seem to think it’s sad that Betty White didn’t have any children. It seems to be a common thing to say when older people are like ‘it’s so sad they didn’t have kids’. Betty dosen’t seem to regret it all. When she married her last husband, he already had three children, and she became very close to her stepkids. Just goes to show that having biological kids is not always the answer. She had her lovely husband, stepchildren and lovely dogs as her family. Just goes to show you don’t need to be a blood relative to see somebody as family.

It’s a shame she didn’t make it to 100. She had big plans for her 100th birthday and she kept herself busy and active right through to the very end. On January 17th, I am certain many will be celebrating her life in a way she would like to be remembered. The Golden Girls is going to be one of those shows that will be aired even decades to come. Fans, family and friends of Betty Whire will not let her legacy be forgotten anytime soon. Even though Betty White, Bea Authur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty aren’t here anymore; the Golden Girls (Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia) will still be here.

Thank you for being our friend, Betty.