Doctor: Earlier Stroke Caused Betty White's Death

Betty White died of a stroke she had six days before her Dec. 31 death at age 99, according to her death certificate. The beloved Golden Girls and Mary Tyler Moore Show actor died at her home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles as the result of a Dec. 25 cerebrovascular accident, the medical term for a stroke, according to the LA County death certificate obtained Monday by the AP. The cause was provided by White's doctor, as is typical in such cases. She was cremated, and her remains were given Friday to Glenn Kaplan, who was in charge of White's advanced health care directive.

Jeff Witjas, White's longtime agent and friend, who first confirmed her death to the AP, said she had been staying close to her home during the pandemic. She spent the time doing crossword puzzles, reading, and watching TV, per TMZ. The document lists White's legal name of Betty Marion Ludden. She took the last name of her husband, Allen Ludden, to whom she was married from 1963 until his death in 1981.

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