Actress Betty White accepts the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series for "Hot in Cleveland", at the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California January 29, 2012.
Actress Betty White accepts the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series at the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California Jan. 29, 2012. Reuters

The year 2016 has gotten some people a bit anxious about the well-being of their favorite celebrity icons.

After the news broke Tuesday that “Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher had died after an in-flight heart attack over the weekend, users on Twitter quickly began to worry that the year — which has seen the deaths of a long list of beloved musicians and actors — may still claim the life of another celebrity. In the hours after Fisher’s death was confirmed, Twitter users worried that other beloved people, including Betty White, may still pass in 2016.

But Betty White was not reported dead when her name began trending nationally in the United States. Nor was Morgan Freeman, who some users listed alongside White as facing a potential judgment day in the last few days of the year. Instead, White’s name achieving what appeared to be unexplained prominence just added to the consternation.

The 94-year-old “Golden Girls” star doesn’t appear to have been on the radar much since an interview on TODAY last month when she opined on the difficulties of dating as a nonagenarian. “Nobody asks me!” she said during that interview, displaying the spunk many of her fans know her for. “Who’s gonna want to ask out a 94-year-old woman? It just doesn’t happen.”

If there was another reason beyond Fisher's death for White's name to start trending, it was not immediately apparent.

White’s most recent tweet, from July, reinforce that fun-loving attitude. “Nothing better than sharing a drink with a fan — if you see me out at the club, just tell the bartender to put it on my tab,” she wrote.

The year has taken quite a few beloved celebrities, including musicians David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and Prince; boxing legend Muhammad Ali and astronaut John Glenn. Fisher’s death came just days after ex-Wham! singer George Michael died from a heart attack. Other celebrities who died in 2016 included “Growing Pains” dad Alan Thicke and “To Kill A Mockingbird” author Harper Lee.

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