Americans will soon be able to send mail adorned with the likeness of the beloved actress Betty White.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is set to release a Forever stamp commemorating the “warmth, wit and charisma” of the late “Golden Girls” star next month.
White died at her Los Angeles home on Dec. 31, 2021, at the age of 99, six days after suffering a stroke. Her life and legacy will now be remembered with the new stamp, which debuts on March 27.
“This collectible Forever stamp honors beloved American actress and comedienne Betty White (1922-2021), whose impish smile is depicted on the stamp and lit up performances in a career that spanned more than 60 years,” the statement reads.
“Often referred to as the ‘First Lady of Television,’ White was honored with five Primetime Emmy Awards for her work in television, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Grammy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
The new stamp features a digitally created portrait of White smiling against a purple background with lighter “bubbly spots that befit her sparkling personality,” the postal service noted.
The actress is depicted wearing a polka-dotted blue top; her name is displayed in white near the bottom of the image.
“I’d love to send a letter back to my 18-year-old self with this stamp on it and tell him that everything is going to be OK.”
The stamp’s rendering is based on a 2010 photograph of White taken by celebrity photographer Kwaku Alston, which was featured on the Jan. 17, 2022, cover of People magazine following the actress’s death.
“I had the honor of being asked to photograph her book cover in 2010 and recall how Betty White lit up every room she entered,” Alston added.
“Although she left us only a few days before her monumental 100th birthday, she leaves a trailblazing legacy that will be difficult to match.”
Like other Forever stamps, the Betty White stamp will never expire and will maintain equal value to the current one-ounce First-Class Mail price.
Lasting Legacy
After launching her acting career in the 1940s, White garnered her first major television role on the sitcom “Life with Elizabeth,” which aired from 1953 to 1955.The actress went on to land her breakout role in 1973, playing Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” until the sitcom’s conclusion in 1977.
That same year, she starred in “The Betty White Show,” later appearing in “Best of the West,” “Fame,” “St. Elsewhere,” “The Love Boat,” “Mama’s Family,” and “Days of Our Lives,” among other shows.
White is perhaps best known for portraying the character Rose Nylund on the 1980s sitcom “The Golden Girls,” which chronicled the lives of four older women living out their golden years in Miami, Florida. The actress later reprised her role in the spinoff “The Golden Palace.”
She is also known for her recurring roles on “Maybe This Time,” “Ladies Man,” “Boston Legal,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and “Hot in Cleveland.”
In addition to her work on the screen, White was an ardent animal advocate. The actress was a prominent supporter of the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens through her work with the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), the zoo’s nonprofit advocate and partner.
“Through the years I have visited many zoos, and I would love to introduce you to some of the friends I’ve made along the way,” she penned in the book’s introduction.
“As you have gathered, zoos are incredibly important to me. In this book, I hope you'll find out why. Come along.”
