During a 2010 chat with The Boot, Betty White shared that her favorite country song is "9 to 5," the theme of the 1980 film that introduced Dolly Parton's acting chops to Hollywood.
"I like Dolly's whole approach to life with ongoing and uplifting songs," White said. "I never met Dolly but everything I ever heard about her she was a great gal to know and you could kind of get it in her music and her voice and her approach to lyrics."
Parton's country and pop chart-topper earned an Oscar nomination and two Grammy wins (Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance, Female).
White spoke glowingly of country music, listing fellow TV legend Tennessee Ernie Ford as another favorite.
"Country music tells stories, and it's also basic," Betty tells The Boot. "It's the kind of music that reaches right inside of you because it's simple and it's direct. I just enjoy it thoroughly. It's relaxing and nostalgic. It can turn on some lovely memories and sometimes some poignant ones."
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White celebrated her 99th birthday on Jan. 17, 2021.
She's been a TV personality since 1939, with her best-known role being Rose Nylund on the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls (with Emmy award-winning co-stars Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty). She was also a regular on TV shows The Pet Set, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mama's Family and Hot in Cleveland.
White's most recent husband, game show host Allen Ludden, passed away in 1981.
Since 2010, Morris Animal Foundation, represented by White, and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library have joined Donny and Marie Osmond, Larry King and other celebrities' foundations and causes to aid Paul Mitchell Schools' annual fundraising efforts.
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