Did Betty White Really Spend Her Final Days In A Home She Couldn't Stand?
When the world learned about the tragic death of Betty White, many fans felt like they lost a true pal and confidant. She starred on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" as Sue Ann Nivens, whom White called "the neighborhood nymphomaniac" during a 2011 CNBC interview, and won a lifelong fan in "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds even before she worked with him on "The Proposal," per People. But to many, she'll always be remembered for her role as Rose Nyland, the naive Minnesota native on "The Golden Girls." Rose was not quite as guileless as she often seemed, and White's deadpan delivery of her bless-your-heart brand of snark helped make her a fan favorite.
On the show, Rose was rarely lonely — she could always earn eyerolls from roommates Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Dorothy (Bea Arthur), and Sophia (Estelle Getty) with her absurd stories about life "back in St. Olaf." The women didn't always get along, but they seemed content with their living situation. However, life at White's home in Los Angeles' affluent Brentwood neighborhood got pretty lonely during the pandemic. In 2020, a rep for the star told TODAY that her visitors were limited to those whose presence was an absolute necessity, and one of her pals told Closer Weekly that she was missing her in-person Scrabble games with friends.
White was ever the optimist and found plenty of aspects of pandemic life to embrace, but there was somewhere else she desired to be as she lived out her final years.
Betty White reportedly wanted to live in the house she and her late husband built
Betty White supposedly wished to spend her later years in her seaside abode in Carmel, California, which is located over 120 miles south of Los Angeles. An insider told the New York Post that the actor "felt more comfortable" there, but her need for "at-home care" made it more practical to live in Los Angeles. "If she had it her way, Betty would've lived and died in that home," the source said. The 3,600-square foot Carmel property features five bathrooms, two bedrooms, and an ocean view. It also has a second story, which White found beneficial. "I have a two-story house and a very bad memory, so I'm always up and down the stairs, [so that's] good exercise," she told CNBC.
White had planned on spending many happy years there with her third husband, Allen Ludden, whom she met on the set of "Password" when he was hosting the game show. However, he died from stomach cancer in 1981, three years after the couple began building their dream home.
White found some reasons to love her Brentwood estate. Her rep told TODAY that two ducks would occasionally "waddle up to her glass door and look in," which surely delighted an animal lover like White. And she's never been one to complain about her circumstances, sharing this advice about how to live a happy life with Parade in 2018: "Accentuate the positive, not the negative."