Betty White has passed away at the age of 99

Betty White has passed away at the age of 99.

The beloved Golden Girls actress - who was just weeks off her milestone 100th birthday on January 17 - passed away peacefully in her home on Friday.

Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Mike Lopez told The Post that officers responded to a radio call Friday at about 9.30 am concerning "a natural death investigation" at the 99-year-old's home in Brentwood, California.

Her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas later confirmed the news to People magazine.

"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever," Witjas said in a statement.

"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."

The star - who was born in 1922 - was a pioneer of early television with a career spanning nine decades.

White began her television career as a $50-a-week sidekick to a local Los Angeles TV personality in 1949. She was hired for a local daytime show starring Al Jarvis, the best-known disc jockey in Los Angeles.

The comedic actress went on to have a vast career in the entertainment industry, as well as being one of the first women to produce a sitcom, Life with Elizabeth, which saw her named honorary Mayor of Hollywood.

In recent years, White enjoyed a quiet life in Los Angeles, where she confessed to having a passion for crossword puzzles and card games as well as a love for animal documentaries, which fitted with her longtime commitment to animal welfare advocacy.