GoFundMe launched to 'protect' Betty White from 2016

In an attempt to keep the Grim Reaper at bay, concerned Betty White fans have donated to a GoFundMe launched to help protect the star in the waning days of 2016.

This year has been a tough one when it comes to celebrity deaths — Muhammad Ali, Prince, David Bowie, Carrie Fisher, George Michael, Gene Wilder, and Alan Rickman are just a smattering of the famous names to pass away in 2016. White, 94, is the last living Golden Girl and a national treasure, and one man decided that the way things have been going, it's important to keep her safe until Jan. 1, 2017, when hopefully a gentler, kinder year will begin.

Of course, there's a twist — Demetrios Hrysikos said that while he is willing to fly to White's house, "assuming she doesn't want a strange Greek standing guard outside her door, all monies will be donated to the Spartanburg Little Theater to help craft new stars of stage and screen to carry [the] mantle of the legends that have left us this year." After the GoFundMe went viral, Hrysikos announced he came up with the idea after learning of Fisher's death Tuesday, and he wanted to "put a smile back on some people's faces and do some good." Sure, give some of the money to the theater — but use the rest to purchase a protective bubble for Betty.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.