Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies

[Guest josephga]

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.

[+ purplekow]

I seem to recall seeing Estelle Getty in Torch Song Trilogy with Harvey Fierstein in the 80's sometime. This in her pre Sophia days.

Think Matthew Broderick was also in that but I am scouring back 25 years and trying to recall the faces. Havent seen that credit in any of her bios though.

 

In 1992, I was visiting my father in the hospital on a Saturday night, he was being discharged the next day after a relatively minor illness and as I was leaving, The Golden Girls was coming on. He mentioned how big a kick he got from that show, "the old lady especially" and I kissed him good bye and told him to enjoy the show. I heard him laughing as I went down the hall. I got the call that he turned off the TV, told a nurse how much he laughed at the show and then just died. Estelle helped to let him go out laughing, may she and he RIP.

[LurkerSpeaks]

yes, you are correct about Torch Song. On Broadway, Estelle played the mother and Mathew Brodderick was the adopted son. By the time it finally was made into a movie, Mathew was too old to play the son, so he was cast as the young lover. The mother role went to another great actress, Ann Bancroft. Not to sound stereotypical, but I was a great fan of the Golden Girls......

 

Picture it.. Sicily...1912.... rest in peace Estelle

[Guest ReturnOfS]

Rest in peace Estelle

[Guest ncm2169]

BIG smile here.

 

That show had more zingers than George Bush has lies.

 

RIP, Estelle!! :* :*

[jackhammer91406]

She was a very talented actress, equally comfortable with comedy or drama.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember some of the PR which stated she was the youngest of the four. do I have that wrong? The others are all still living right?

 

At any rate, a gifted comedienne who is missed in this corner of our world.

[Rick Munroe]

Such sad news. She created one of the funniest sitcom characters ever (plus she was a very vocal supporter of gay rights & active in AIDS fundraising). We're watching our favorite episodes tonight...

 

Rue McClanahan: "Don't feel sad about her passing. She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia."

 

Bea Arthur: "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her."

 

Betty White: "The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us."

[rvwnsd]

My mom, who recently passed away, and I would always visit and watch The Golden Girls together on Saturday nights and then I would go out. She was a composite of those four ladies and some of my fondest memories of her include laughing together at Sophia's antics. May Estelle Getty rest in peace. Perhaps she can pay mom a visit one of these days.

[JT Brooklyn]

R.I.P. "MA" as Dorothy would always say! :-(

[Guest jeffOH]

>Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember some of the

>PR which stated she was the youngest of the four. do I have

>that wrong? The others are all still living right?

 

Estelle was a year younger than Betty and Bea who both turned 86 this year. Rue is about 10 years or so younger. The Golden Girls was recently honored on the TV Land Awards with Betty White, Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan accepting. Bea sadly seemed a bit out of it. Betty and Rue continue working in TV with Betty most recently on Ugly Betty and on The Million Dollar Password.

 

>At any rate, a gifted comedienne who is missed in this corner

>of our world.

 

Thank you for being a friend, Estelle. :-)

[Rick Munroe]

>The Golden

>Girls was recently honored on the TV Land Awards with Betty

>White, Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan accepting.

 

Thanks for the info. I just watched it and wished they'd spoken longer...but I was very disappointed that none of the 3 mentioned Estelle...

 

[Guest jeffOH]

>Thanks for the info. I just watched it and wished they'd

>spoken longer...but I was very disappointed that none of the 3

>mentioned Estelle...

 

You're welcome. I was also disappointed they didn't mention Estelle and that they hadn't spoken longer. I think they edited the hell out of this year's TV Land Awards compared to past years' that usually ran 2 hours as opposed to this year's 90 minutes.

 

FYI, starting at noon this Friday, Lifetime will be running special episodes honoring Estelle on what would have been her 85th birthday.

[+ deej]

> but I was very disappointed that none of the 3 mentioned Estelle...

 

I imagine they knew her condition and didn't want to bring attention to it. Old bro^H^H^H ladies (that's a Betty White joke, folks!) will go to extreme lengths to avoid mentioning the specter of death.

 

The best tribute to Estelle Getty is that she joined something already good:

 

The Great Herring War:

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

 

and she made it better.

 

Thank you for being a friend!

[JT Brooklyn]

Over the past Several years..The Three Girls would mention Estelle and "Wish Her Well" in different Interviews, where she would always naturally be asked about..

 

The saying goes...."Gone But Never Forgotten" ;-)

[jackhammer91406]

Thanks Jeff.