Ryan Reynolds Speaks out on Betty White’s Passing: ‘The World Looks Different Now’

Ryan Reynolds sent an emotional message to Betty White, who died at the age of 99 on Friday. The 45-year-old actor went to social message to pay tribute to White, who is known for her work on The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Reynolds and White worked together on the film The Proposal in 2009.

“The world looks different now,” Reynolds wrote on Instagram and Twitter alongside a photo legendary actress. “She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty.” Reynold’s message came shortly after White talked about the Deadpool star to PEOPLE. Reynolds has jokingly referred to White as his ex-girlfriend. 

“I’ve heard Ryan can’t get over his thing for me, but Robert Redford is The One,” White told PEOPLE. White was set to celebrate her 100th birthday on Jan. 17. For White’s 99th birthday, Reynolds posted behind-the-scenes footage from The Proposal to his Instagram Story. Reynolds told people he’s always been a fan of White as he loves her comedic talent. 

“I heard that scripts for Golden Girls were only 35 pages, which makes sense because so many of the laughs come from Betty simply looking at her castmates,” Reynolds said who added that White is “a typical Capricorn” because she “sleeps all day” and is “out all night boozing and snacking on men.”

“Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” White’s agent and close friend Jeff Witjas told PEOPLE on Friday. “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.”  

White’s performance stood out in The Proposal, but she was known more for her work on TV. She won a total of five Primetime Emmy Awards with 21 nominations. In 2018, White earned a Guinness World Record in 2018 for working in TV for nine decades. Along with her five Primetime Emmys, White won three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Grammy Award.