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Estelle Getty, best known for playing Sophia Petrillo in the camp TV comedy The Golden Girls has died at the age of 84.
Getty was an outspoken supporter of gay rights and also played her part in fundraising for AIDS research. The Golden Girls ran from 1985 to 1992 and not only did it become an overnight success because of its humour, but it was also one of the first American TV comedies to regularly deal with gay issues in a prime time slot.
Getty retired from acting in 2000 and announced in 2002 that she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Getty had been suffering from Lewy’s Body dementia when she passed away this morning at 5.35am, peacefully in her sleep, at her Hollywood Hills home.
Her manager issued a statement to fans, saying that “Getty’s family and close friends thank everyone for being so loving and supportive of Estelle in her last few years.”
In 1986 Getty won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy in 1988 for her portrayal of Sophia, the brash, loud mouthed mother of Dorothy (played by the legendary Bea Arthur), she was forever starting stories with “Picture it, Sicily…” and caving into threats from her daughter that she’d be sent off to live at the retirement village Shady Pines. Getty was in fact two months younger than Arthur, but through her make up and mannerisms, she was more than convincing.
“Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her,” said Bea Arthur.
“The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us,” said fellow Golden Girls co-star Betty White, who played Rose.
“Estelle always wanted to be an actress, and she achieved that goal beyond her dreams. Don’t feel sad about her passing. She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia,” said Rue McClanahan, who played Blanche.
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Christian Taylor
said on the 31st Jul, 2008