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Hollywood stars remember Betty White

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Betty White, whose career in film and television spanned decades, appears to have left an impression on many of her colleagues in showbiz.

Messages of condolences and thanks, as well as personal anecdotes, from those in the entertainment industry flooded social media shortly after news of the 99-year-old's death broke on Friday.

It was just this past Thursday when White and Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds made headlines following playful banter jokingly alluding to a past romance between the two stars.

"The world looks different now," Reynolds tweeted on Friday. "She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We'll miss you, Betty."

White was also seen as an advocate for civil rights. The Martin Luther King Jr. Center shared a story about how she was criticized after featuring Arthur Duncan, a Black tap dancer, on one of her shows in 1954.

"Her response: 'I'm sorry. Live with it.' She then gave Duncan even more airtime," the institution wrote. "Rest well, Betty."

Comedian and actor Steve Martin shared an anecdote of meeting White for the first time early in his career, before he achieved great fame.

"She said, 'We came to see you.' I said, 'Why?' 'Because we heard you were funny,'" he wrote. "I was elated."

Saturday Night Live alumnus Seth Myers, who now hosts his own late-night TV show, shared another story, saying White was "the only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party. A party at which she ordered a vodka and a hotdog and stayed til the bitter end."

More messages from those in the entertainment business were posted:

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