Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies at age 84

[ronnykmarshall]

Source: Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - 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.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080722/ap_en_tv/obit_getty_4

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Rest in peace, "Ma".

[WillParkinson]

1. Aw...

She was sweet. I liked her.

[ronnykmarshall]

2. I just read that she took care of her nephew who had AIDS.

He was only 29 when he died. But Estelle took him in his friends couldn't take care of him.

She flew him to California and took care his medical needs until he died.

What an angel she was.

[Goblinmonger]

4. Exactly what I said, "Aw."

She was awesome.

[napi21]

3. God bless her, I loved her in the role of Sophia! n/t

[flashl]

5. RIP. nt

[bigscott]

6. RIP Estelle

You brightened a lot of lives in your time!
Peace

[Juneboarder]

7. Bye Sophia...

We'll miss ya!

[Carolina]

8. Loved Sophia

and still retreat to the escapism of Golden Girls re-runs on Lifetime when the news becomes too depressing.

RIP Estelle.

[flygal]

14. ain't that the truth

When I get down I watch the dvds and they make me smile.

[kimmylavin]

30. Absolutely.

I'd forgotten how funny that show was until I started watching the DVDs.

[redirish28]

9. Estelle, you will be missed.

[Breeze54]

10. I always enjoyed her performances on "The Golden Girl's"

She will be missed but I'm glad she's free from the prison of Lewy Body Dementia
which is similar to Alzheimer's disease symptoms.

[ThatsMyBarack]

32. Is that what she suffered from? Lewy Body Dementia?

Sounds like an awful disease with and awful name.

I knew Estelle was suffering for the longest time. I'm glad she's not anymore. RIP. O8)

[Kutjara]

39. Yes.

Her doctors originally thought she had Parkinson's, then Alzheimer's. When her symptoms didn't quite match up with either of those, she found some new doctors who diagnosed Lewy Body Dementia. It basically combines all the fun of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's with a few tricks of its own. Truly a nasty disease, and one about which very little is known.

[Behind the Aegis]

11. Thank you for being a friend.

:cry:

[DianaForRussFeingold]

12. Thank you...for being a friend.

:cry: Golden Girls Tribute :hug: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djecMu1Rj-8

[applegrove]

13. She was great. I loved that show.

[ooglymoogly]

15. Raise hell wherever you are Sophia....thank our lucky stars we had

you for lo these short many. You however, lucky for us, are not gone; You will live on to eternity in the reruns which I will watch till I too shuffle of this mortal coil. You were part of a marvel of wit charm and grace; Honesty, poignancy and perfection.

I believe we all can rest easy knowing that you have escaped this timeclock we call life to something more glorious; So tonight I will lift a glass to you Estelle Getty tho we only knew ye as the bright eyed, wonderfully acerbic Sophia. Your best line among many was; When everyone else was being oh so pretentious, "Well pa'adon me while I play the grand piana" and if I had any say, that would be the line on your gravestone. A fitting line for your final exit.

[TommyO]

16. Picture it... Sicily...

As a gay man, I was contractually obligated to watch The Golden Girls. Estelle Getty will be missed!

Some Golden Girl quotes from IMDB:

Sophia: Ow.
Dorothy: What is it, Ma?
Sophia: Pain.
Dorothy: What kind of pain?
Sophia: The kind that hurts.

(Dorothy has brought home a pamphlet that shows Sophia might be losing her hearing)
Sophia: Oh, please Dorothy. Every time you bring home a pamphlet, I have that problem. One time I even thought I was a Jew for Jesus.

(the girls are sick. Sophia tells a story)
Sophia: In Sicily, we never went to the doctor. We went to the Widow Caravelli. Whatever you had, she had a cure. She was most famous for her green salve to cure ear infections. One day, she gave some to Salvadore, the village idiot. He misunderstood the directions and put in on his linguine instead of in his ear.
Dorothy: Well, I guess if you're an idiot with a hearing problem, you do things like that.
Sophia: Actually, it turned out ok. The stuff tasted great, so Salvadore decided to market it. At first, things didn't go so well. Linguine with ear salve wasn't very appetizing-but once he changed the name to pesto sauce, it sold like hot cakes!
Dorothy: Ma, you're making this up!
Sophia: So what? I'm old, I'm supposed to be colorful.


Rest in Peace, Estelle.

[Gen. Jack D. Ripper]

26. Hell, as a 25-year-old straight guy

I'm not afraid to admit that I watch/watched the Golden Girls...

...at least I'm not afraid to admit it here. :D Nah, it had the one quality that makes a sitcom a prominent fixture in the television pantheon: it was funny. And Sophia was everyone's favorite character.

[TommyO]

33. Not only funny, but hysterically so in most episodes.

I need to add it to my TiVo to catch some episodes. Or maybe I can get the DVDs for my mother for Christmas, I'm sure she'll let me borrow them.

[ooglymoogly]

55. You are in for a treat

It was and is one of the funniest sitcoms ever put together. Each episode is a part of a rare collection of classics. You can watch each episode a hundred times and you will laugh just as hard every time you see it; Does not matter if you are gay straight or Martian.
I think the "Golden Girls" title may have turned off the more "butch" inclined and those who thought it was for the elderlies. It is like watching hundreds of the best gags on the old Saturday Night Live, strung seamlessly together in a much higher quality setting with four of the best character actresses in the business; With a lot of big names thrown in. Like all sitcoms some were funnier than others and some had you rolling on the floor with a very slight few not so funny.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

36. I am laughing so hard I'm crying.

I loved it when she put Dorothy in her place. God I hated Dorothy.
Duckie

[ladywnch]

17. my grandmother is 93 and IS Sohpia. LOL much to my mother's

dismay/embarrassment. I LOVE them both (Sophia/grandma).

RIP

[roguevalley]

24. my mom loved her. they are probably swapping stories in heaven.

I hope so. rip, estelle.

[2peaches2]

18. For those who read the Stephanie Plum series

she sounds just like the grandmother.

[AndyA]

19. What a great lady.

I read once that she was having health problems even while The Golden Girls was in production. She had a difficult time remembering her lines, so they kept cue cards handy so she could read them.

From time to time, you can see her reading them when you watch the show.

One of the best casts of all time, right up there with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers, The Bob Newhart Show, and others. Magic on TV doesn't happen often, but thanks to Estelle and reruns, we can see it almost every day.

Rest in peace, Estelle, and thanks for all the laughs.

[ooglymoogly]

20. I am surprised there are only four rec's on this story. lr mt.

[OhioChick]

21. RIP Estelle.

She brought humor to many lives.

[Triana]

22. Awww. I loved that show and Estelle was raucous! RIP fine lady. n/t

[goclark]

23. She really gave laughter and sunshine into this world

RIP dear friend.

[sasquatch]

25. I loved that show as a kid

:D

[LeftinOH]

27. - And she was actually younger than Bea Arthur, who played her daugher on GG!

although only by a year.

[nam78_two]

28. RIP Estelle.nt

[jjr5]

29. RIP Estelle

You are a good one, may you have God speed!

[Ilsa]

31. RIP, Lovely Lady. Bless you for all the good you've done, and

entertaining us as well. Making us laugh helps us live longer.

[KingFlorez]

34. Rest in Peace, She was a tremendous actress

[DU9598]

35. Peace be with you Estelle

You brought laughter and sunshine to my life. The Golden Girls' home each week was one place where I felt normal as a gay teenager. The Golden Girls will always be a part of my life.

RIP

[Vektor]

37. I loved her - she was so funny and likable.

Rest in peace, Estelle. You brought happiness and laughter to many.

[JeanGrey]

38. Godspeed Estelle. I am sure you are with the angels.

[BrklynLiberal]

40. That is sad news.....She was so funny on The Golden Girls.

[Reeta77]

41. How Sad - RIP Estelle Getty

Sophia is one of my all-time favorite characters. I go to sleep watching "The Golden Girls" every night. Ironically (and quite weirdly, I might add), yesterday morning's episode was "Room 7" when Sophia "dies" and sees Sal in heaven.

Again, RIP Estelle. You will be missed :(

[lonestarnot]

42. Ah... She did good work.

[NuttyFluffers]

43. :(

:loveya: O8)

[ChazII]

44. She is now at peace. n/t

[joeybee12]

45. Ran into her once...sweet, sweet lady and a great actress..

This is very sad, but her last years were tough, so she's at peace now.

[Psyop Samurai]

46. Much love and godspeed, Estelle...

I will never forget your performance in Torch Song Trilogy on Broadway. I was so fortunate to have had that experience. The audience laughed 'til we cried. The play took forever, because of the uproarious laughter after most of your lines. You were genius, and many of us will never forget.

[Vidar]

47. A sad farewell to a great comedienne. RIP Estelle.

[Akoto]

48. Terribly saddening. Not only was she a great actress ...

She was also a great person. Before she became ill, she was very involved in pushing for gay rights and securing funding for AIDS research.

[Lugnut]

49. R.I.P. Sophia. :(

[bumblebee1]

50. RIP Estelle

I've always enjoyed the delivery of her lines on the "Golden Girls." That woman could always make me laugh. She was always great with her lines regarding Blanche. We'll miss you, Estelle (Sophia). Rest in peace and may you be at the right hand of God.

[ChoralScholar]

51. Picture it.... Sicily..... 1923.....

You know, she was actually the second youngest on the show. Only Rue Mclanahan was younger, by some eleven years.

[zanne]

52. Aw. I loved her.

We're losing alot of good ones now.

[a la izquierda]

53. She always reminded me of my great-grandma

a funny old Italian lady on Golden Girls.
I grew up watching Golden Girls with my grandma and I watch the show still, from time to time, to remember her. I usually end up bawling my eyes out if a particularly memorable episode comes on. When I was a kid I never understood half the stuff Blanche was talking about, but my Irish grandma (the one I watched it with) would always tease me that if I spent too much time with my Italian grandma, I would turn into crazy Sophia. I thought it was hysterical.

RIP, in Sicily, Sophia.

[YOY]

54. I'll even go as far as saying that I completely forgive her for "Stop or my Mom will Shoot"

Sly Stalone, I will never forgive...that and Judge Dredd...

She always reminded me of my own Italian Grandmother in "Golden Girls."

Rip.