‘That ’90s Show’ Confirms Beloved ‘That ’70s Show’ Character is Dead

That ’70s Show lives on through the new generation on That ’90s Show, picking up almost 20 years after the original series ended on Fox. Unfortunately, in that time span and ahead of the show’s arrival on Netflix, a beloved character died off-screen. As noted in some of the dialogue from Kitty Forman (Debra Jo Rupp), her mother, Bea Sigurdson, died between the shows’ two time periods. Bea was played by the late TV icon Betty White, who died on Dec. 31, 2021, in four memorable episodes of the original show. 

Instead of keeping Bea alive off-screen or recasting her, That ’90s Show opted to kill her off. Her death is first confirmed in Episode 1 (“That ’90s Pilot“). Kitty is talking to her son, Eric Forman (Topher Grace), about how much she loves having him and his family visit.

“I love having the house full again. It just fills me with joy,” Kitty says before changing to a sadder tone. “And then you leave, and it’s sad. And then winter comes, and I visit mom’s grave. And I tell her how much fun it was when the house was full.”

Kitty also references Bea’s death in Episode 7 (“Boyfriend Day One“). After dental surgery, an intoxicated Kitty gets a tattoo and is horrified once she sobers up. She notes that her mom would be ashamed of her, saying, “My mother would be rolling in her grave if we hadn’t spread her ashes in the parking lot of the Sizzler by her church.”

About That ’90s Show on Netflix

That ’90s Show is the Netflix sequel series to FOX’s hit sitcom That ’70s Show (1998-2006). It features returning cast members Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp as Red and Kitty Forman, respectively, alongside a new group of teens played by Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Mace Coronel, Reyn Doi, Sam Morelos and Maxwell Acee Donovan. However, these beloved That ’70s Show cast members return for guest appearances: Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Tommy Chong and Don Stark. While the focus here is on the kids, fans of the original show will be pleased to know the lead character, Leia Forman (Haverda), is the daughter of Eric Forman (Grace) and Donna Pinciotti (Prepon). Leia and her friends get into all kinds of hijinks, not unlike the original cast of characters, so the spirit of the original series is alive and well.