"I'm so compulsive about stuff, I know if I had ever gotten pregnant, of course, that would have been my whole focus." "But I didn't choose to have children because I'm focused on my career. And I just don't think as compulsive as I am that I could manage both," White added.
White and Sullivan co-wrote a book, Leading Lady, about Sullivan's first seeing eye dog, who lived with White after being retired. White and Ludden had no children together, though she was the stepmother of his three children with Margaret McGloin Ludden, who had died of cancer in 1961.
However, she did have pets of her own. It's thought she'd created a pet trust to ensure that her pets were well taken care of after her death. Sources reportedly told The Daily Star that those closest to White were remembered in her will, but most of her estate otherwise went to charities.
White leaves behind three stepchildren from her marriage to Allen Ludden — Sarah, Martha, and David Ludden — and they could very well be getting a portion of the net worth. It's also likely that White left a large sum to one of the many animal charities she supported in life.
Over the course of her 99 years, White had a few marriages. In 1945, she married U.S. Army pilot Dick Barker, and then got hitched to Hollywood agent Lane Allen from 1947 until 1949. She met her third husband Allen Ludden when she appeared as a guest on his game show, Password, in 1961.
Betty White s 3 Stepkids Called Her Dragon Lady & Husband s Daughter Was Opposed to Marriage
Did Betty White love Allen Ludden?
As White told Larry King in 2010, her marriage to Ludden was simply "the best. He was the love of my life." King ventured that she never got over him, and she agreed. "Never," she said.
Betty White was America's comedy sweetheart for the better half of her 100-year-long life. And while the world was adoring her, she has loyally loved the same man for over 50 years, Allen Ludden.
As for her relationship with her stepchildren, Betty told People in a past interview that she felt “blessed” to be a stepmother to Allen's three kids. “It turned out great,” she said.
The home, which was more than 3,000 square feet and had five bedrooms and six baths, was listed by Marlene Okulick of Sotheby's International Realty – Pacific Palisades Brokerage. According to the listing, the property was sold for "land value," meaning it was always set to be torn down once bought.
White herself was a puppy raiser, having adopted a Golden Retriever named Pontiac. When Pontiac passed away a few years back, White chose not to adopt any new puppies when considering her advanced age, concerned that the dog would outlive her and then not be properly cared for.
Betty personally sponsored more than 30 Foundation-funded animal health research studies that have improved the lives of cats, dogs, horses and wildlife, as well as informed policies that helped protect vulnerable species.
McClanahan passed away in 2010 at age 76 from a stroke. Arthur died from cancer in 2009 at age 86, and Getty, who suffered from Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disease, died in 2008 at age 84. The last surviving Golden Girls star, White died December 31, 2021, at 99.
White had been open throughout the course of her life about not wanting to have kids. Although she was married three times, she didn't have biological children. In a 2012 interview with CBS, the “Hot in Cleveland” actress discussed why she chose not to be a mom and if she regretted the decision.
Throughout her life, Ms. White owned many dogs and cats. Her love, however, didn't stop with her own companion animals. She served on the Los Angeles Zoo's board for over 50 years, advocating and raising funds for state-of-the-art gorilla and orangutan exhibits for all to enjoy.
Her devotion to pets was such that she declined a plum role in the hit 1997 movie "As Good As It Gets." She objected to a scene in which Jack Nicholson drops a small dog down a laundry chute. In her 2011 book "If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)," White explained the origins of her love for dogs.
Beginning today through January 17th, we honor the late Betty White and her love and respect for animals. So much has been said about Ms Betty White, and one thing we know for sure is that 99 years could never have been enough for someone with such passion for animals, and zest for life.
While Betty White never had kids of her own and didn't regret it, by marrying Allen Ludden she gained three stepchildren, David Ludden, Martha Ludden, and Sarah Ludden. In an interview with People in 2009, Sandra Bullock recounted a conversation with White about being a stepmom.
The late Betty White famously had a massive crush on fellow screen icon Robert Redford, and now the “Natural” actor says he “had a crush on her, too!” Redford recently paid heartfelt tribute to White, who died on New Year's Eve, just weeks shy of her 100th birthday.
Did Robert Redford and Betty White have a relationship?
I had a crush on her, too!" Indeed, Redford and the late White, who was 99, had a bit of an innocent flirtation, despite White's unending devotion to her late husband Allen Ludden, who died in 1981.
Despite her ongoing joke about being in love with the Hollywood heartthrob, White explained in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that she never actually met Redford and that she was fine with that. "I don't know him. I just worship from afar," she said. "If I ever met him, I'd faint."
