KEY POINTS

  • There were rumors that Betty White died due to a COVID-19 booster
  • White's agent and longtime friend Jeff Witjas denied the rumors, saying she died of natural causes
  • Witjas asked the public not to politicize White's death because that was not the life she lived

Betty White died of natural causes, and her death should not be politicized, according to the actress' agent.

White passed away three weeks before her centennial birthday. There were rumors that her demise was due to a COVID-19 vaccine booster, but her agent and longtime friend Jeff Witjas have shut down such claims.

"People are saying her death was related to getting a booster shot three days earlier, but that is not true. She died of natural causes," he was quoted by Page Six as saying. "Her death should not be politicized — that is not the life she lived."

Witjas confirmed White's death on Friday. The Hollywood icon passed away "peacefully in her sleep" at her home in Los Angeles, he told People. He added that even if the legendary actress was turning 100 this month, he thought she would live forever. Witjas is White's agent at APA, and they have been friends for a long time.

"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," he added.

When White was still alive, Witjas made sure that she knew how much her fans loved her.

"She knew it, but I would tell her often," Witjas told People. "Even when she wasn't working, I said, 'Betty, millions of people out there are still asking for you. You're getting your fan letters, I'm getting offers for you.'"

Witjas wasn't sure if the "Proposal" star embraced what he had been telling her or really felt it. However, he would reinforce to White how beloved she was because he thought she should know it.

"I never wanted her to think while she was sitting at home, that the world has passed her by. It never did," he continued.

Before her death, White was prepping to mark her 100th birthday. In an interview with People for a cover story, she spoke about how fortunate she was.

"I'm so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age. It's amazing," White told the outlet.

Actress Betty White -- seen here accepting the Screen Actors Guild award for best actress in a comedy for "Hot In Cleveland" in January 2012 -- worked for decades in television
Actress Betty White -- seen here accepting the Screen Actors Guild award for best actress in a comedy for "Hot In Cleveland" in January 2012 -- worked for decades in television GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / KEVIN WINTER
RELATED STORIES