Betty White, who plays the role of the world’s favorite grandma, has been married three times during her life. Her third marriage was successful and brought about positive changes in her life, despite the fact that her previous two marriages ended in divorce.
Betty White, an actress, never intended to get married, and after two unsuccessful attempts, she finally understood what she wanted in a partner: love and support. Betty White never married.
This point is reinforced throughout the book “How to be Golden: Lessons We Can Learn from Betty White,” which was written by Paula Bernstein. Bernstein observed that White was searching for love as well as someone who would support her rather than someone who would compete with her professionally.
“She was definitely not going to give up her huge Hollywood goals in order to fulfill the ideal of a wife that some guy had for her.”
The comedienne said that her decision to marry herself rather than either of her two previous husbands was a blessing in disguise since it wasn’t until her third marriage that she found true happiness.
“Both marriages taught me to appreciate the genuine thing when it came around,” said White. “When it did come along, I had a far better appreciation for it.” When she finally did meet the man who would become her third husband, Allen Ludden, she had some reservations about being married again.
She had her home in California and had no desire to go to New York, which is where Ludden filmed the famous game show “Password” and where he also resided with his children. Ludden was her husband.
However, he was not deterred by her resistance. On a gold chain that he wore around his neck, Ludden wore the engagement ring that he had given to White when he asked for her hand in marriage. He promised that he would not let up until she gave her consent to marry him.
In his second try, he offered a show of love toward the object of his affection on Easter by sending her a plush white rabbit that was wearing gold earrings that were studded with small diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, along with a letter that read: “I love you so much it hurts.”
White quickly gave Ludden a call after being presented with the gift and confirmed his acceptance of it by saying “YES.” She went on to clarify what caused her to alter her mind by claiming, “The earrings did not have a role in the outcome. It turned out to be the rabbit. I still have it.”
Even before she saw the gift, White had already come to the conclusion that she was hopelessly in love with Ludden and that she could no longer bear to be apart from him.
White & Ludden Were Married at a Private Occasion
After the two lovers came to the conclusion that they should not put off their wedding any longer, they ran away together. On June 14, 1963, White and Ludden tied the knot in a civil ceremony that took place at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.
In front of Ludden’s children and White’s parents, the couple exchanged their wedding vows and officially became husband and wife. After being married and going on their vacation out of town, the newlyweds returned to New York and headed directly to the CBS studio to record “Password.” This happened almost immediately after the wedding.
Ludden was a father to three children: Sarah and Martha, both of whom were girls, and David, his only son. Martha is the oldest of the siblings, despite the fact that David is the oldest of the brothers.
She was still a young adult when White took on the role of their stepmother, and according to the accounts in the media, things did not go very well. When Martha was a teenager, her father had remarried, and she harbored resentment against him because of it.
She allegedly acquired “anger against Betty,” as reported by Closer Weekly and accessed via Pop Crunch. Martha made it quite apparent that she disapproved of her father marrying the former cast member from “Hot in Cleveland”:
“Marth was just a young woman, yet she had a strong aversion to getting married. She had a deep resentment against her father and made it quite known that she did not get along with Betty.”
“Martha’s animosity for Betty was a frequent source of contention between Allen and Martha. The turbulent nature of her connection with her father was a source of significant anguish for him “the insider provided the explanation.
White’s book “If You Ask Me,” which was a runaway success in New York, was where she showed her real love for her stepchildren and referred to them as “the finest stepchildren in the world.”
Despite the fact that it was said that she and Martha got off to a rocky start, White said that she had a positive relationship with her stepchildren: “So fantastic, they nicknamed me ‘Dragon Lady’ fondly.”
White has said several times over the years that she and her brood “loved one other passionately,” and she has also stated that she is “glad” to be their stepmother. “A big gift – once again.”
Ludden was given a fatal diagnosis of stomach cancer as they were adjusting to their new existence. Unfortunately, none of the treatments were successful. White claimed that the family made the decision to cease selecting for treatment after speaking with specialists. Instead, they opted to spend his last days with him in the best manner they knew how.
Sadly, Ludden died in June 1981. A friend of White’s discussed the affection that existed between the two of them, stating that the man was irreplaceable:
“In her eyes, no other man can ever measure up to Allen,” she said.
White has said in the past that Ludden was her one and only genuine love, and she has also said that “after you’ve had the greatest, why needs the rest?”
White celebrated her 98th year on earth with her Stepchildren.
According to an article that was published in Closer Weekly in January 2020, White was going to celebrate her 98th birthday on January 17, 2020 with some of her closest friends. A friend of the TV legend shared with the publication that even in his latter years, he still liked drinking, joking, and sharing tales.
According to the information provided by the source, White planned to celebrate her birthday at home with some of her longstanding friends and stepkids, with whom she had a strong relationship.
The Illinois native, who was already in her nineties at the time, was as fit as a fiddle and told Closer Weekly that she considered herself fortunate to still be in “excellent health” at her advanced age:
“I am really fortunate to have excellent health. You have a deep appreciation for anything like that.”
During the COVID-19 epidemic, White used her time productively in spite of the lockdown. Tom Sullivan, an entertainer, said that the seasoned celebrity read the Los Angeles Times newspaper every morning and would flip each page of the publication.
Sullivan further said that the actress, who was a winner of an Emmy Award, had a collection of crossword puzzle books and used to work on them on a regular basis. He mentioned that she had a serious attitude toward the exercise.
White confessed that the key to being bright even in her elderly years was having a strong enthusiasm for life and maintaining an active lifestyle. She said that it was essential for a person to have something they were passionate about, and she added:
“It all depends on the way you think. A great many of us begin to fear becoming older. Get the most out of the situation.”
White sadly died away on the 31st of December, 2021, when she was 99 years old. A cerebrovascular accident was listed as the cause of her death on the death certificate that was issued in January of 2022, as reported by People. It is more often referred to as a stroke, and it occurs when blood flow to a portion of the brain is interrupted, causing damage to the brain tissue.
An anonymous source revealed to the publication that White “passed away quietly in her sleep” after suffering “a small stroke.” Jeff Witjas, her lifelong friend and agent, shared the news that the “Golden Girls” actress had passed away “without agony,” which provided him with some consolation.