Betty White‘s birth certificate has indicated that she died of a stroke at the age of 99. The stroke occurred just six days before her death, per documents obtained by TMZ. A stroke is medically called a “cerebrovascular accident,” and references a loss of blood flow to the part of the brain, therefore resulting in tissue damage. Strokes are generally caused by broken blood vessels the brain and blood clots.
On Jan. 1, her cause of death was reported as “natural causes” by the Los Angeles Police Department. “It appears to be natural cause of death with no evidence of foul play,” the LAPD wrote via Twitter, just a day after the Golden Girls star died.
The Hollywood icon passed away on Dec. 31, 2021: a shy 17 days before the Hollywood icon was set to celebrate her milestone 100th birthday, which she was celebrating with a party and special PEOPLE magazine cover. “I’m going BIG for my birthday – right to the BIG SCREEN!” she tweeted on Dec. 16, followed by another post about her upcoming birthday on Dec. 28. “My 100th birthday… I cannot believe it is coming up, and People Magazine is celebrating with me!” she posted just three days before passing.
On 12/31/21 at around 9:30 a.m., LAPD West LA Division responded to a death investigation call of a female adult at the 500 block of North Carmelina Avenue in Brentwood. Preliminary investigation reveals, natural cause of death, and there is no evidence of foul play.
— LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) December 31, 2021
Her death was mourned by many in Hollywood, including her longtime agent Jeff Witjas. “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” he said in a statement. “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.”
It was revealed that Betty’s final world was “Allen” — the name of her third husband and love of her life, who passed away in 1981 after a battle with stomach cancer. Her friend Vicki Lawrence shared her final world after being told by mutual friend Carol Burnett via text. “I texted Carol and said, ‘This just sucks. I hate this. It’s just horrible to see the people you love so much go away,’” Vicki, 72, said in an interview with Page Six. “Carol wrote back and said, ‘I know, I know. I spoke to Betty’s assistant, who was with her when she passed, and she said the very last word out of her mouth was ‘Allen.’”