Bummer! Estelle Getty was wonderfully funny and a terrific human being, according to all accounts. She played Harvey Fierstein's mom in the original stage production of Torch Song Trilogy. She played a LOT of moms.
It is sad that her illness kept her back from fully enjoying life in her later years.
My all time favorite line from Golden Girls was when Blanche's gay brother was visiting with his boyfriend, the cop, and Blanche felt that she had to give up her bedroom so that they could have a place to sleep:
Blanche: What will the neighbors think when they see 2 men in my bedroom???
Sophia: They'll think it's Tuesday.
Rest in peace, Estelle/Sophia. You brought a lot of joy into the world.
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," died yesterday. She was 84.
Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.
"Estelle always wanted to be an actress, and she achieved that goal beyond her dreams," former "Golden Girls" co-star Rue McClanahan told The Associated Press. "Don't feel sad about her passing. She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia." "The Golden Girls" featured four female retirees sharing a house in Miami.
Three of its stars had appeared in previous series: Bea Arthur in "Maude," Betty White in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and McClanahan in "Mama's Family." The last character cast was Sophia Petrillo, the feisty 80-something mother of Arthur's character.
Estelle Getty, 1923-2008: She had a 'golden' role -- Newsday.com
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