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| BETTY WHITE SHOOTS DOWN REPORTS OF ESTELLE GETTY SNUB Blog |
The collective reputation of TV's Golden Girls seemed to tarnish somewhat when word circulated that not a single cast member attended the funeral of costar Estelle Getty, who died July 22.
But Betty White, who starred on the hit sitcom with Getty, Rue McClanahan and Bea Arthur, says no disrespect should be inferred.
"We were with Estelle when it mattered," White, 86, tells Entertainment Tonight, reports ET.com. "I didn't go to her funeral and Paul, her wonderful caretaker, knew I wasn't going to her funeral." Getty had long suffered from a form of dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease.
White also insists that Getty herself would have been incensed at the tabloid stories fueling any notion of lost love between the "girls."
"Funerals are about [journalism]," suggests White, "who was there and who wasn't? That's not about Estelle."
In terms of feelings about Getty, "We adored her. To tell you the truth, her passing is tough on us, but it's a blessing for her. She's been so ill for so long, she's in a better place now, wherever she is."
People
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| BETTY WHITE: "SOPHIA WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US" Blog |
Bea Arthur has released a statement to Usmagzine.com after the death of her Golden Girls co-star Estelle Getty:
"Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her," Arthur said.
Getty — who played Arthur's sarcastic mother Sophia on the hit NBC sitcom — won an Emmy in 1988 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Saddened by the news, Betty White (who played the naïve Rose) told Us, "The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us."
Getty, who suffered from Lewy Body Dementia, a progressive brain disease, died at about 5:35 a.m. Pacific Time Tuesday.
"Estelle's legacy will live on and on through the comedy and laughter she gave to us all, which will forever keep us laughing out loud," her caregiver said in a message on her Web site.
See Us' photo tribute to stars who have gone too soon.
Usmagazine
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| GOLDEN GIRLS STAR ESTELLE GETTY DIES AT 84 Blog |
Estelle Getty, who won an Emmy and a Golden Globe as the tart-tongued Sophia Petrillo – mother of Beatrice Arthur's character – on TV's The Golden Girls, has died. She was 84.
Getty's longtime manager, Alan Siegel, told PEOPLE on Tuesday: "As of 5:35 this morning, surrounded by her family in her Hollywood Hills home, Estelle Getty passed away peacefully in her sleep of natural causes. Her family and close friends thank everyone for being so loving and supportive of Estelle in her last few years."
For many years, Getty had suffered with Lewy's Body Dementia, which has been described as a type of Alzheimer's disease.
Also starring with Betty White and Rue McClanahan on the NBC sitcom, Getty's Sophia resulted in her receiving seven Emmy nominations, and a win in 1988. Equally winning were her well-delivered insults on the show. A typical Petrillo put-down: "I think there's a connection between your brain and wallpaper paste."Daughter of ImmigrantsSpecializing in playing "old" (Getty, only a year older than Arthur, was in her early 60s when she was cast as octogenarian Sophia), the future TV star was born Estelle Scher, the daughter of Polish immigrants, on New York's Lower East Side.
From age 5 "I wanted to be [movie queen] Claudette Colbert." Getty told PEOPLE in 1986.
Desperate for an acting career, Estelle took lessons – then, in 1946, she took a husband: retail-glass businessman Arthur Gettleman, whose name she would later adapt as a stage professional. But first, she raised the Gettleman's two sons, Carl and Barry.
Eventually there were off-off Broadway roles, then Harvey Fierstein cast her as his overbearing mother in Torch Song Trilogy, which opened on Broadway in 1982. The spotlight from that show resulted in her landing the role of Sophia.
Arthur Gettleman died in 2004. Her sons survive her.
"She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents," her son, Carl Gettleman told the Associated Press Tuesday. "She was one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived."
Funeral services will be private, said Siegel.
People
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| BREAKING NEWS: GOLDEN GIRL ESTELLE GETTY DIES AT 84 Blog |
Surrounded by her family and caregivers, actress Estelle Getty — known for her role as the wise-cracking Sophia Petrillo on the Golden Girls — died Tuesday morning at her Los Angeles home.
She was 84.
She was to turn 85 on Friday.
Her longtime caregiver Paul Chapdelaine wrote on her Web site:
"Sadly, today July 22, 2008 at 5:35 a.m. Pacific Time, we said our last good-byes to our little friend Estelle, who passed away and made her journey to the great beyond. Although it was a trip that she never wanted to take, she went gracefully, in the comfort of her own home, surrounded by her family and her very loving care-givers.
"Estelle's legacy will live on and on through the comedy and laughter she gave to us all, which will forever keep us laughing out loud.
"For us here, who have known and cared for her for so many years, we've lost our dear little friend who always kept us entertained by filling our days with joyful laughter. Estelle's fans across the globe have lost the feisty little lady known as Sophia Petrillo, whose quick wit, cutting remarks, and outrageous punch lines will forever be quoted and remembered.
"Estelle was a fighter. She always stood up for the underdogs, fought for equality for all, and always pictured a world filled with "Love and Laughter" —her most favorite catch phrase.
"Estelle, we love you and will miss you dearly. We pray that you are met at the Pearly Gate with open arms and a warm welcome by all who have passed before you. If there's a stage over there, I know you'll be on it. If there's a thrift shop, I know you'll be shopping, and if there's a deli, I know you'll be eating there holding court with Rhoda and Sylvia ... and the laughter will be heard throughout the heavens.
"Goodbye, dear friend. Thank you for all the talent and love that you've shared with us during your time here on Earth. You have touched my life, and the lives of so many others who will never forget you."
Getty had been suffering from poor health over the years.
The latest reports claim she was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, a progressive brain disease.
In 2005, her Golden Girls co-star Rue McClanahan told Entertainment Tonight when she called her on the phone, "the only thing she was able to say back to me was, 'Yes.'"
See Us' photo tribute to stars who have gone too soon.
Born in New York City, Getty launched her career in the Yiddish theater.
She earned acclaim for her role as playing Harvey Fierstein's mother in Broadway's Torch Song Trilogy.
She was best known, however, as the quick-wittted Sophia on The Golden Girls. She won an Emmy in 1988 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
In 2006, her caregiver told Entertainment Tonight, "Estelle would like them all to know that if she has made you laugh, encouraged you to think, and challenged your beliefs, then she has done her job."
She is survived by her two adult sons, Barry and Carl.
TMZ.com first reported the news.
Usmagazine
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