This one stings. A lot. She dazzled the screen for decades in so many ways, from the Mary Tyler Moore Show, to The Golden Girls, to SNL, to all those game shows, like Password, Pyramid, Match Game, and others, that one would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't even heard the name. She had that friendly presence about her, one who could relax even the most nervous contestant in the Winner's Circle. She was a national treasure, as others here have said. We'll have no choice but to take solace in the fact that after 40 years, she's reunited with her sweetheart, Allen Ludden, and with her Golden Girls, happily sharing fond memories.
Thank you for being a friend, Betty. Rest in peace.