Betty White has officially been given the stamp of approval from the United States Postal Service.
A previously announced Forever stamp bearing the image of the late Golden Girls star will finally see the light of day next month.
The collectible stamp featuring White will be available beginning March 27, the same day an unveiling event is scheduled at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
The location is fitting given White was a well-known animal advocate who worked with the zoo throughout her life. Since 1974, she served on the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s Board of Trustees, and became chair of the board in 2010.
“This collectible Forever stamp honours beloved American actress and comedienne Betty White, whose impish smile is depicted on the stamp,” USPS said in a statement. “The Betty White stamp features a digitally created portrait of the cherished star against a violet-coloured background and, in a lighter shade, bubbly spots that befit her sparkling personality.”
Available in panes of 20, the stamps – which never expire – will always retain a value equal to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
Digital artist Dale Stephanos created the stamp’s illustration, based on a photograph shot by Kwaku Alston for the cover of the second edition of Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments In An Extraordinary Life.
“Feeling incredibly proud and honoured to have my image of the legendary Betty White selected to represent her enduring legacy as one of America’s most beloved icons,” the photog shared on social media.
White appeared in a variety of TV series, movies and even Super Bowl commercials throughout a career spanning 75 years.
Though a mainstay on game shows throughout the 1960s, she gained a heightened level of fame as the man-hungry Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1973 to 1977, and the ditzy Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992. She continued working into the last years of her life, rightfully earning her title as the First Lady of Television.
The Oak Park, Illinois, native died of natural causes on Dec 31, 2021, just weeks shy of her 100th birthday.
She was preceded in death by game show host Allen Ludden, to whom she was married from 1963 until he died from stomach cancer in 1981. When later asked why she never remarried, she told Larry King, “Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
