Betty White Once Again Hit With Death Hoax, Sending Fans Into Panic

Social media users were sent into a bit of a panic on Friday after an article made the rounds claiming Betty White had “dyed.” The 97-year-old Golden Girls actress and TV legend has been the source of death hoaxes for close to a decade at this point, with the article posted by satirical site EmpireNews helping to fuel the rumors.

Despite her age and the passing of her fellow castmates on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, White is still going strong. According to The Blast, CBS News helped refute the rumors with a story on fake news sites.

“A disclaimer on the site reads: ‘Our website and social media content uses only fictional names, except in cases of public figures and celebrity parody or satirization,’” the report at CBS News read.

The hoax seems to stem back to at least 2012, leading to many outlets to clear the air over White’s status and ensure fans that she was still going strong. And each time it happens, social media seems to lose it or has a lot of fun with the news.

“False alarm over Betty White’s death has genuinely made me light-headed. Protect her. Do not make me hurt like this unnecessarily,” one fan wrote on Twitter.

“I got on Twitter to verify if Betty White truly left us. It is with great pleasure that I report she has not! Don’t try me like that again. *resumes watching Golden Girls,*” another added.

“Saw a hoax about Betty White passing away & it almost broke my heart,” a third wrote.

“Aye mane stop playing with Betty White like that! Y’all had me scared of a min,” a final fan added.

The reactions surrounding this latest hoax echo the sentiments shared year after year. A quick Google search shows stories refuting Betty White’s death stretching all the way to 2012. There was even a similar hoax outrage in July 2018 that led to people venting online.

“Every time I see Betty White trending, I have to take a deep breath before I click to see why,” one fan wrote at the time.

“At age 96, actress Betty White, known for her role as Rose Nylund on Golden Girls, woke up peacefully in her Los Angeles home this morning,” another added, mocking the typical obituary format.

A rep for The Golden Girls actress reached out to HollywoodLife after the news broke to confirm that White is “alive and very well.” She is also looking forward to her 98th birthday in January.