Google’s touching Betty White tribute on her 100th birthday is making the internet ugly cry
Betty White (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Google is celebrating the late, great Betty White on what would have been her 100th birthday with a touching Golden Girls Easter egg – and we’re not crying, you’re crying.
The Golden Girls star and undeniable, unflinching gay icon passed away on 31 December, just weeks from reaching her centenary.
Josh Breslow, a Texan realtor, was one of many to draw attention to the tribute on Twitter by sharing a screen recording of the animation. Searching Betty White’s name on Google brings up an animation of red rose petals floating to the bottom of the screen, followed by the words: “Thank you for being a friend, 1922-2021.”
With White’s career lasting more than nine decades, starting with her work in radio drama at just eight-years -ld and including her Emmy-winning performances in The Golden Girls, her loss took the world by storm.
Today, #BettyWhite would’ve turned 100. Watch what happens when you search “Betty White” on @Google.
?? ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UShWw1QQpw
— Josh Breslow, REALTOR (@JoshBreslowTN) January 17, 2022
The actress was also well-known for her outspoken support for the LGBT+ community, and once joked: “Gays love old ladies.”
“I don’t care who anybody sleeps with,” Betty White told Parade magazine in 2010. “If a couple has been together all that time – and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones – I think it’s fine if they want to get married.”
“I don’t know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don’t worry about other people so much.”
Have you all typed "Betty White" into Google today? You should, you'll be glad you did. It's just WONDERFUL. 💖🌹#HappyBirthdayBettyWhite #ThankYouForBeingAFriend— Paul Dunphy Esquire. 🏳️🌈 (@pauldunphy) January 17, 2022
If you google Betty White today, rose petals fall down your screen and Thank You For Being a Friend plays with this message. ♥️ I’ve refreshed it x100 pic.twitter.com/nVxF1ZpLuT— Diana DiMenna (she/her) (@DianaDiMenna) January 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/Tweet_Dec/status/1483095603613732870?s=20
How lovely is this?
Google 'Betty White' and rose petals fall from the top of the screen and "Thank you for being a friend" appears.#BettyWhite #BettyWhiteDay #BettyWhiteBirthday pic.twitter.com/jDRoPUMIoO— Tom (PositiveLad) 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (@PositiveLad) January 17, 2022
The Golden Girls was also well-known for tackling difficult topics, including the AIDs epidemic. In a 1990 episode, “72 Hours”, White’s character, Rose Nylund, finds out that a blood transfusion may have exposed her to HIV, making the show one of the first sitcoms to ever mention HIV and AIDS.
The week of her passing, Betty White spoke to People magazine about her upcoming birthday.
“I’m so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age,” she said at the time. “It’s amazing.”
“Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” said her agent and close friend, Jeff Witjas, to the magazine following her passing. “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.”
