Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies at 84 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

MonarC · 07-22-2008, 02:45 PM

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/...722:obit_getty

sunshinefizzy · 07-22-2008, 03:00 PM

Just saw that. God bless her.

LuLu Rogers · 07-22-2008, 03:17 PM

I just heard about this, such a wonderful woman

PunkyP0WER · 07-22-2008, 03:17 PM

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

*ClassicPinUp* · 07-22-2008, 03:25 PM

Wow. I didn't see this one coming...what a talented and funny lady

RIP Estelle you will be missed!

PZelda · 07-22-2008, 03:41 PM

Ohhhh man. I loved her so much on Golden Girls.

I'm really gonna miss her now. Rest in peace, Estelle.

Stormtracker TF · 07-22-2008, 04:11 PM

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 · 07-22-2008, 04:39 PM

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 · 07-22-2008, 04:50 PM

If anyone would like to view or sign the guestbook, You can do so here.

MonarC · 07-22-2008, 05:01 PM

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 · 07-22-2008, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

If anyone would like to view or sign the guestbook, You can do so here.

Thanks. I signed it.

Mr. Television · 07-22-2008, 05:10 PM

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 · 07-22-2008, 05:58 PM

RIP Estelle

Thanks for the laughs.

InspectorExstead · 07-22-2008, 08:24 PM

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.

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 · 07-22-2008, 10:09 PM

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

07-22-2008, 02:45 PM	#1
MonarC The truth will set you free Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 05, 2002 Location: 3rd Stone From The Sun Posts: 9,525	Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies at 84 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/...722:obit_getty

07-22-2008, 03:17 PM	#3
LuLu Rogers Colonel Brandon Forum Fanatic Join Date: Mar 23, 2004 Location: The Hogwarts Dungeons Posts: 11,013	I just heard about this, such a wonderful woman
	__________________ -Lauren- "I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death."-Professor Severus Snape

07-22-2008, 03:17 PM	#4
PunkyP0WER Member Senior Member Join Date: May 23, 2008 Location: MACY*S on 34th St. Posts: 1,908	so sad!! i loved her on the golden girls. all the good ones die! rest in peace estelle.
	__________________ Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to. - Fred Gailey & Doris Walker It was the movie that no one thought would be a hit It was the sleeper a studio had no idea how to sell And its success was even more miraculous because this Christmas present was opened in June! Fred & Doris Gailey FOREVER! That's the magic of *macys**

07-22-2008, 03:25 PM	#5
ClassicPinUp ***** Senior Member** Join Date: Oct 28, 2006 Posts: 2,246	Wow. I didn't see this one coming...what a talented and funny lady RIP Estelle you will be missed!
	__________________ Imy firefighter!

07-22-2008, 03:41 PM	#6
PZelda Two Valeries! <3 Forum Addict Join Date: Jul 15, 2002 Location: I'm STILL missing NYC. :( Posts: 78,223	Ohhhh man. I loved her so much on Golden Girls. I'm really gonna miss her now. Rest in peace, Estelle.
	__________________ Cheers behind the couch!

07-22-2008, 03:00 PM	#2
sunshinefizzy Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 27, 2006 Location: Craptown Posts: 2,054	Just saw that. God bless her.

07-22-2008, 04:11 PM	#7
Stormtracker TF Happy Easter! Moderator Forum Idol Join Date: Jul 19, 2002 Location: Detroit, Michigan Posts: 102,598	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.
	__________________ i s .. i t ... s t i l l .. t h e . n e w .. a g e . ? . . . o r .. a m .. i ... t o o .. l a t e .? █║║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█

07-22-2008, 04:39 PM	#8
80s_Fan Healthcare_Clerk Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 2004 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 1,697	Another Great Actress Gone But Not Forgotten 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.

07-22-2008, 04:50 PM	#9
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,386	Guestbook for Estelle Getty If anyone would like to view or sign the guestbook, You can do so here.
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

07-22-2008, 05:01 PM	#10
MonarC The truth will set you free Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 05, 2002 Location: 3rd Stone From The Sun Posts: 9,525	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

07-22-2008, 05:10 PM	#12
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	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.
	__________________ Sonny

07-22-2008, 05:58 PM	#13
YoliUSA Fan of the Classics Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 13, 2002 Location: In a galaxy far, far away... Posts: 5,290	RIP Estelle Thanks for the laughs.
	__________________ "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them". ~Walt Disney "Sometimes I just don't understand human behavior"- C-3PO My DVD's

07-22-2008, 08:24 PM	#14
InspectorExstead Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Oct 29, 2001 Location: The Golden State Posts: 12,902	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. estelle...you will be missed. btw, the banner ad at the end of this page is for golden girls ringtones & has pictures of estelle. =(
	__________________ They killed my sister because she asked: "Where is my vote?" http://sosiran.com/ http://tapeshhd.com/index.php

07-22-2008, 10:09 PM	#15
DLevine2 DLevine2 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 06, 2006 Location: Fayetteville, Ga. Posts: 2,961	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