Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies at 84

[MonarC]

http://l.yimg.com/img.tv.yahoo.com/tv/us/img/site/42/86/0000004286_20060919221138.jpg

Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84.

Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.

"She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents," her son said. "She was one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived."

read more here...

http://tv.yahoo.com/show/30728/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20080722:obit_getty

[sunshinefizzy]

Just saw that. God bless her.

[LuLu Rogers]

I just heard about this, such a wonderful woman :( :rip:

[PunkyP0WER]

so sad!! i loved her on the golden girls. all the good ones die! rest in peace estelle.

[*ClassicPinUp*]

Wow. I didn't see this one coming...what a talented and funny lady :( RIP Estelle you will be missed!

[PZelda]

Ohhhh man. I loved her so much on Golden Girls. :( I'm really gonna miss her now. Rest in peace, Estelle.

[Stormtracker TF]

Wow. I saw this on a news ticker downtown earlier this afternoon and couldn't believe it. Really sad. :(

It feels so weird that just earlier today I randomly wondered how she was doing these days, and then a few hours later I find out she died.

[80s_Fan]

It's so sad; she will always be remembered; she was a funny and great actress. She will be sadly missed; may she rest in peace.

[Zoneboy]

If anyone would like to view or sign the guestbook, You can do so here (http://www.legacy.com/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=113918530).

[MonarC]

Here is some more info about sweet Estelle Getty.


Estelle Getty was a very good mother.

The actress, whose knack for being cast as a maternal unit paid off handsomely when she was cast as Beatrice Arthur's no-holds-barred mother on the long-running TV hit The Golden Girls, died early today at her Los Angeles home, her son Carl Gettleman said.

Getty, who was three days shy of her 85th birthday, succumbed to Lewy Body Dementia, a disease with symptoms that mimic Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

A perennial award nominee for The Golden Girls, which ran for seven seasons, from 1985-1992, Getty won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her work as Sophia Petrillo, the shuffling octogenarian who was never without her handbag—or a wisecrack.

Arthur said today she will miss her former costar.

"Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duo's ever," Arthur said in a statement.

The on-screen relationship worked so well, in fact, that the casual viewer never suspected the off-screen truth that was masked by Getty's granny wig and glasses: The TV daughter was older than the TV mother. (Arthur was born, depending on the source, in either May 1923 or May 1922.)

Cast as the oldest of the show's quartet of Miami-based retirees, Getty wasn't even the second oldest of the so-called golden girls. Betty White, who played naive Rose, also was older than Getty.

Getty was 62 when The Golden Girls premiered. Unlike the rest of the cast, which was rounded out by Rue McClanahan as the hot-'n'-steamy Blanche, Getty was an unknown, a bit player in TV and film whose screen career had begun just seven years prior.


E! Online



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scmvfDGnf_A

[MonarC]

If anyone would like to view or sign the guestbook, You can do so here (http://www.legacy.com/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=113918530).

Thanks. I signed it.

[Stuck In The '70's]

Awww. How sad. I knew she had been sick for quite some time. She was a lovely lady and a wonderful actress. I can't count the times that I was down and she would make me laugh. Her one-liners were classic. R.I.P. Estelle. Thank you for being our friend. :(

[YoliUSA]

:( RIP Estelle :rip: Thanks for the laughs.

[InspectorExstead]

i saw this on the news this morning & couldn't believe it. :(
i loved her on golden girls. she was so talented & hilarious. watching the show will be very different from now on & sad.
:rip: estelle...you will be missed.

btw, the banner ad at the end of this page is for golden girls ringtones & has pictures of estelle. =(

[DLevine2]

Tonight, I watched some of my TGG DVD's to honor Estelle Getty. She was on Entertainment Tonight too. She is suppose to be on there tomorrow night too.

R.I.P. Sophia

[Jo_Luvs_Ketchup]

Today, a family friend's dog passed away. I was crying most of the day. Then this afternoon, I find out Estelle Getty passed away as well. This was an entire day of mourning. She was a wonderful actress and we will miss her so much. I will be watching every episode of Golden Girls on Friday to honor her.:( :( :(

[phoebe7165]

I knew she was sick for a while but it's still sad to hear of Estelle's passing. She also had a small part in my all-time favorite movie, Tootsie. She was in the scene where "Dorothy" & Les are out dancing, Estelle's character recognizes Dorothy and tells her she's a big fan.

Well, Estelle, you had alot of big fans and you will be missed.

Again, thank you for the laughter!!:( :rip:

[Janice]

Prayers for her and her loved ones. She was great on The Golden Girls. My mother watched that show every day. I never knew that Estelle was younger than Bea Arthur. She was a hoot in that role, and she'll be missed.

[OH Nuts!]

"I love you pussycat." Rest in peace Estelle and thanks for all the joy you brought to millions of viewers. For me, you were the best "Golden Girl" - and there was stiff compitition.

[MonarC]

Today, a family friend's dog passed away. I was crying most of the day. Then this afternoon, I find out Estelle Getty passed away as well. This was an entire day of mourning. She was a wonderful actress and we will miss her so much. I will be watching every episode of Golden Girls on Friday to honor her.:( :( :(

Aww. :( Sorry about the dog.

[Stormtracker TF]

Today, a family friend's dog passed away. I was crying most of the day. Then this afternoon, I find out Estelle Getty passed away as well. This was an entire day of mourning. She was a wonderful actress and we will miss her so much. I will be watching every episode of Golden Girls on Friday to honor her.:( :( :(
Sorry about your dog. R.I.P. :(

[PunkyP0WER]

so sorry about your beloved dog :(

[Larenz09]

I think that she lived a full happy normal life.

She will be missed by all!:rip:

[DLevine2]

If anyone would like to view or sign the guestbook, You can do so here (http://www.legacy.com/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=113918530).

I signed the guestbook and I also enjoy viewing the guestbook too.