Betty White's agent says her death 'should not be politicized' after false vaccine claims

Betty White's agent is shooting down false claims that the beloved actress' death had anything to do with COVID-19 vaccines.

After the television icon died last week at the age of 99, a false quote began to spread online of White allegedly saying that she received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose three days earlier on Dec. 28. According to The Associated Press, this was a fabricated quote, and White did not, in fact, receive a vaccine booster on that date. Her agent Jeff Witjas in a new statement rejected false assertions her death was connected to COVID-19 vaccines in any way.

"People are saying her death was related to getting a booster shot three days earlier, but that is not true," White's agent said, per The Hollywood Reporter. "She died of natural causes. Her death should not be politicized — that is not the life she lived."

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Witjas also told People that the actress, known for her roles on shows like The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "died peacefully in her sleep at her home." Her death came just weeks before what would have been her 100th birthday.

"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever," Witjas told People. "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."

In fact, co-star Vicki Lawrence told Page Six that according to White's assistant, "the very last word out of her mouth was 'Allen,'" her late husband's name. Tributes poured in for White on Friday after her death, with President Biden saying she "brought a smile to the lips of generations of Americans," adding, "She's a cultural icon who will be sorely missed."