Estelle Getty

Estelle Scher-Gettleman (25 July 1923 – 22 July 2008), better known by her stage name Estelle Getty, was an American actress, who appeared in film, theatre and television. She is best known for her role as Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls (1985-1992), The Golden Palace (1992-1993) and Empty Nest (1993-1995). In her later years, after retiring from acting, she battled Lewy Body Dementia.

Death
On July 22, 2008, at approximately 5:30 a.m. PDT, Getty died in her Hollywood Boulevard home in Los Angeles from natural causes three days before what would have been her 85th birthday.

Estelle Getty was buried in the Plains of Abraham (formerly Section 14) Jewish section, of Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA. She is interred near other entertainment notables like actors Paul Muni, Lester Allen, Felix Bressart, operatic baritone Arnold Gabor, early Hollywood film producer/screenwriter Jesse James Goldburg, former German filmmakers Joe & Mia May (Mandel), and 007 co-screenwriter Richard W. Maibaum. Allan R. Ellenberger blogged on August 1, 2009, that Estelle's tombstone was installed.

Getty's Golden Girls co-stars reflected upon her death; Rue McClanahan told the Associated Press, "Don't feel sad about her passing. She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia." Betty White remarked, "The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us." Bea Arthur said in a statement, "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever and I will miss her." Arthur herself died of cancer less than a year after Getty, on April 25, 2009.

In honor of Getty, Lifetime TV – which aired reruns of The Golden Girls at the time; aired ten episodes of the series featuring the best of Sophia on Friday, July 25, her birthday. Fans voted for their favorite episode on Lifetime's website. The episode "Old Friends" received the most votes and was aired last during the marathon.

Awards and nominations for The Golden Girls
Emmy Award Nominations: Golden Globe Nominations:
 * Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1986)
 * Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1987)
 * Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1988) (Won)
 * Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1989)
 * Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1990)
 * Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1991)
 * Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1992)
 * Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical (1985) (Won)
 * Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical (1986)
 * Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie (1991)

Links

 * Estelle Getty on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estelle_Getty
 * Estelle Getty on IMDb - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001268/