Trisha Yearwood Celebrated Betty White's 100th Birthday In A Truly Remarkable Way
Betty White was looking forward to her centennial birthday on January 17, and had already planned a film event, "Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration." In a press release shortly before her death in December 2021, White announced the project, proclaiming, per Entertainment Tonight, "Who doesn't love a party?!? This one is gonna be GREAT!"
Tragically, the "Golden Girls" star also prematurely appeared on a People magazine cover, headlined, "Betty White Turns 100!" White excitedly promoted the story via her last Instagram post, gushing, "My 100th birthday... I cannot believe it is coming up, and People Magazine is celebrating with me!" In addition to being an exploration of White's extensive filmography, the issue also saw White sharing nuggets of reflection upon her long life, telling People, "I'm so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age. It's amazing."
The beloved pop-culture staple might not have seen her 100th birthday come to fruition, but country star Trisha Yearwood was among those who made sure no one forgot White's big day.
Yearwood raised money for a cause very dear to White
Trisha Yearwood honored Betty White's 100th birthday by supporting one of her biggest passions in life — animals. On January 17, Yearwood, using a TalkShopLive Livestream, raised funds for White's animal charity, Dottie's Yard, ushering in $24,000 in 15 minutes, per the Daily Mail. "I just think Betty right now is so happy that this is the way that the world is choosing to celebrate her birthday by giving to animals which was so near and dear to her heart," Yearwood said, joined by her two rescue dogs.
The fundraiser was a part of the "#BettyWhiteChallenge," per the Mail, an online initiative White's fans created to galvanize people into donating to animal shelters and charities in her honor. As Yearwood pointed out, there are also non-monetary ways of helping. "If you can't donate money, everybody has a shelter. There's a local shelter in your area or humane association. You can volunteer, you can drop off supplies," she noted. In total, Yearwood racked up about $38,000 in donations.
Yearwood also made a poignant observation about White during the stream, fondly sharing the time her daughter Ally met White, recalling how her then-young child took an instant liking to "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" star. "I think Betty's appeal was just really — there was no limit, no age group," Yearwood said. "Everybody loved her."