Betty White remembers longtime co-star Georgia Engel with sweet photo: 'Friends Forever'

Betty White spent years working with late actress Georgia Engel, on the classic The Mary Tyler Moore Show and on her own sitcom, The Betty White Show, in the ‘70s, and they reunited on Hot in Cleveland 40 years later. She wasn’t about to let Engel’s death on Friday go unnoticed.

Betty White and Georgia Engel pose with the cast of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," including Mary Tyler Moore and, back row from left, Ted Knight, Gavin MacLeod and Ed Asner, on Nov. 21, 1975. (Photo: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
Betty White and Georgia Engel pose with the cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, including Mary Tyler Moore and, back row from left, Ted Knight, Gavin MacLeod and Ed Asner, on Nov. 21, 1975. (Photo: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

White paid tribute to her former co-star with a sweet photograph of the two calmly cuddling with a bear.

“‘Friends Forever’ says it all,” White, a noted animal advocate, captioned the photo.

White has been fond of Engel for years, even calling her a “pure gold” friend and co-worker in a 2012 interview.

Several others who worked with Engel over the years shared their own tributes in the days after she died at 70.

Valerie Bertinelli, one of the stars of Hot in Cleveland, who got her start when The Mary Tyler Moore Show was on the air, praised Engel as “crazy talented” and a joy to know.”

Engel’s later work included Everybody Loves Raymond, and cast member Patricia Heaton and show creator Phil Rosenthal remembered Engel fondly, too.

Rosenthal marveled at the comedic skill possessed by Engel, who had a prominent career in theater.

“She could get a laugh on literally every line you gave her,” he told the New York Times for her obituary. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Engel’s final acting credit is an episode of the reboot of One Day at a Time, which means that she played a part in almost five decades of pop culture.

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