{"id":880,"date":"2023-11-25T23:10:47","date_gmt":"2023-11-25T23:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/?p=880"},"modified":"2023-11-25T23:10:47","modified_gmt":"2023-11-25T23:10:47","slug":"final-days-of-golden-girl-estelle-gettys-life-she-struggled-with-a-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/?p=880","title":{"rendered":"Final days of \u2018Golden Girl\u2019 Estelle Getty\u2019s life \u2013 she struggled with a disease"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Adored by fans as the tart-tongued octogenarian Sophia on the hit comedy series\u00a0<em>Golden Girls<\/em>, Estelle Getty left a huge void in the heart of Hollywood when she died in 2008.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>For years, Getty, struggled quietly and eventually lost her life to a vicious disease. Getty\u2019s birthday falls on July 25, let\u2019s remember her as the stellar entertainer who still makes us laugh with her brilliant humor on reruns of\u00a0<em>Golden Girls<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Born in 1923, the New Yorker had her launchpad role in 1982 when she was cast in the Broadway production,\u00a0<em>The Torch Song<\/em>. Her character was specifically designed by actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein, who also starred in the play as the son of Getty\u2019s character.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Almost 60 at the time, Getty went onto play the lead role of Mrs. Beckhoff on and off Broadway for four years. Her performance in the play, about a drag queen living in New York, captured the attention of a production team that was looking for an older actor to play the matriarch of a special group of seniors in Florida.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-0\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CjakNV4hz9E\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=640&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com&amp;rp=%2Fnews%2Ffinal-days-of-golden-girl-estelle-gettys-life-she-struggled-with-a-disease%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR12L0jNBZ2FmjDSBXs7hYjHsoTkW3oY354AP-rs6Z1XgtRywQNlRwNAjm4#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A708.3999999761581%7D\" height=\"1130\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-origwidth=\"\" data-origheight=\"1130\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The show was called\u00a0<em>The Golden Girls<\/em>\u00a0and pulled together Getty, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and\u00a0Betty White, all who would be immortalized for their comedic prowess and memorable performances in a show that entertained generations.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-1790089024\" class=\"newsner-article_inside_content\">\n<div id=\"ad-modul_dynamic\" class=\"ad-space\" data-target=\"eyJwYWdlUGF0aCI6Ii9uZXdzL2ZpbmFsLWRheXMtb2YtZ29sZGVuLWdpcmwtZXN0ZWxsZS1nZXR0eXMtbGlmZS1zaGUtc3RydWdnbGVkLXdpdGgtYS1kaXNlYXNlLyIsInBhZ2VUaXRsZSI6IkZpbmFsIGRheXMgb2YgJiM4MjE2O0dvbGRlbiBHaXJsJiM4MjE3OyBFc3RlbGxlIEdldHR5JiM4MjE3O3MgbGlmZSDigJMgc2hlIHN0cnVnZ2xlZCB3aXRoIGEgZGlzZWFzZSIsInBhZ2VDYXRlZ29yeSI6Ik5ld3MiLCJwYWdlQXR0cmlidXRlcyI6ImRlbWVudGlhLCBlc3RlbGxlIGdldHR5IiwicGFnZUxhbmd1YWdlIjoiZW5fVVMiLCJwYWdlVHlwZSI6InBvc3QiLCJyZWZlcnJlciI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbC5mYWNlYm9vay5jb20vIiwiZmFjZWJvb2siOiJ0cnVlIn0=\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Using caked-on makeup and wigs, Getty\u201362 at the time\u2013convincingly played the quick-witted Sophia Petrillo, a mother in her 80s to Arthur\u2019s character, Dorothy, who was the roommate to Blanche (McClanahan) and Rose (White).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-117159 lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/01\/05191411\/shutterstock_99812543.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"339\" height=\"506\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/01\/05191411\/shutterstock_99812543.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"339\" data-eio-rheight=\"506\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Getty, the mother of two, was married to Arthur Gettleman from 1947 to his death in 2004 and was only one year older than Bea Arthur when she played her TV mom.<\/p>\n<p>Her perfectly-timed insults and endearing\u2013though tough\u2013personality made Getty a fan favorite, earning her a Daytime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-622516827\" class=\"newsner-article_inside_content\">\n<div id=\"ad-modul_dynamic\" class=\"ad-space\" data-target=\"eyJwYWdlUGF0aCI6Ii9uZXdzL2ZpbmFsLWRheXMtb2YtZ29sZGVuLWdpcmwtZXN0ZWxsZS1nZXR0eXMtbGlmZS1zaGUtc3RydWdnbGVkLXdpdGgtYS1kaXNlYXNlLyIsInBhZ2VUaXRsZSI6IkZpbmFsIGRheXMgb2YgJiM4MjE2O0dvbGRlbiBHaXJsJiM4MjE3OyBFc3RlbGxlIEdldHR5JiM4MjE3O3MgbGlmZSDigJMgc2hlIHN0cnVnZ2xlZCB3aXRoIGEgZGlzZWFzZSIsInBhZ2VDYXRlZ29yeSI6Ik5ld3MiLCJwYWdlQXR0cmlidXRlcyI6ImRlbWVudGlhLCBlc3RlbGxlIGdldHR5IiwicGFnZUxhbmd1YWdlIjoiZW5fVVMiLCJwYWdlVHlwZSI6InBvc3QiLCJyZWZlcnJlciI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbC5mYWNlYm9vay5jb20vIiwiZmFjZWJvb2siOiJ0cnVlIn0=\">While starring in the comedy show, Getty had leading roles in hit films like <em>Mannequin<\/em>\u00a0(1987), and 1992\u2019s\u00a0<em>Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot<\/em>\u00a0with Sylvester Stallone.<\/div>\n<div data-target=\"eyJwYWdlUGF0aCI6Ii9uZXdzL2ZpbmFsLWRheXMtb2YtZ29sZGVuLWdpcmwtZXN0ZWxsZS1nZXR0eXMtbGlmZS1zaGUtc3RydWdnbGVkLXdpdGgtYS1kaXNlYXNlLyIsInBhZ2VUaXRsZSI6IkZpbmFsIGRheXMgb2YgJiM4MjE2O0dvbGRlbiBHaXJsJiM4MjE3OyBFc3RlbGxlIEdldHR5JiM4MjE3O3MgbGlmZSDigJMgc2hlIHN0cnVnZ2xlZCB3aXRoIGEgZGlzZWFzZSIsInBhZ2VDYXRlZ29yeSI6Ik5ld3MiLCJwYWdlQXR0cmlidXRlcyI6ImRlbWVudGlhLCBlc3RlbGxlIGdldHR5IiwicGFnZUxhbmd1YWdlIjoiZW5fVVMiLCJwYWdlVHlwZSI6InBvc3QiLCJyZWZlcnJlciI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbC5mYWNlYm9vay5jb20vIiwiZmFjZWJvb2siOiJ0cnVlIn0=\">\n<p>In 1992, Bea Arthur was looking to pursue other opportunities so\u00a0<em>Golden Girls<\/em>\u00a0ended its seven-year run. Getty then reprised her role in\u00a0<em>Golden Palace<\/em>, a show that ran one season in 1992, and later in\u00a0<em>Empty Nest<\/em>\u00a0(1988 to 1995), where former co-stars, White, McClanahan and Arthur, also reprised their roles from\u00a0<em>The Golden Girls<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-1\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Ct15eWIvjxH\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=640&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com&amp;rp=%2Fnews%2Ffinal-days-of-golden-girl-estelle-gettys-life-she-struggled-with-a-disease%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR12L0jNBZ2FmjDSBXs7hYjHsoTkW3oY354AP-rs6Z1XgtRywQNlRwNAjm4#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A714.1000000238419%7D\" height=\"1130\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-origwidth=\"\" data-origheight=\"1130\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>While appearing on the hit comedy, her\u00a0<em>Golden Girls<\/em>\u00a0castmates claimed that Getty was having a difficult time remembering lines and, according to McClanahan, who died in 2010, she had panic attacks on the set of the show.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-f740f52d1a6e3fc4d4d0b0d2662d7bcc\" class=\"newsner-f740f52d1a6e3fc4d4d0b0d2662d7bcc newsner-amp_article_inside_content\">\u201cShe had an awful time remembering lines because she would freeze, she panicked. She would start getting under a dark cloud the day before tape day. You could see a big difference in her on that day. By tape day, she was unreachable. She was just as uptight as a human being can get.\u201d McLanahan shared of Getty, of tiny stature who stood less than 5-foot. \u201cFinally, she asked for cue cards, which appalled us all, and at first the producers refused to stoop to such an unprofessional thing. But eventually, she had to be given cue cards for those deliciously funny Sophia stories.\u201d<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-132862 lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/07\/24142814\/GettyImages-115409730.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"351\" height=\"525\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/07\/24142814\/GettyImages-115409730.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"683\" data-eio-rheight=\"1024\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Getty was diagnosed with Lewy body\u00a0dementia,\u00a0a progressive brain disease often mistaken for Alzheimer\u2019s, and her brilliant performances were burdened by its straining impact on her body.<\/p>\n<p>Her health rapidly declined in 2000 and she was unable to participate in a\u00a0<em>Golden Girls<\/em>\u00a0reunion show in 2003.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-1291037620\" class=\"newsner-article_inside_content\">\n<div id=\"ad-modul_dynamic\" class=\"ad-space\" data-target=\"eyJwYWdlUGF0aCI6Ii9uZXdzL2ZpbmFsLWRheXMtb2YtZ29sZGVuLWdpcmwtZXN0ZWxsZS1nZXR0eXMtbGlmZS1zaGUtc3RydWdnbGVkLXdpdGgtYS1kaXNlYXNlLyIsInBhZ2VUaXRsZSI6IkZpbmFsIGRheXMgb2YgJiM4MjE2O0dvbGRlbiBHaXJsJiM4MjE3OyBFc3RlbGxlIEdldHR5JiM4MjE3O3MgbGlmZSDigJMgc2hlIHN0cnVnZ2xlZCB3aXRoIGEgZGlzZWFzZSIsInBhZ2VDYXRlZ29yeSI6Ik5ld3MiLCJwYWdlQXR0cmlidXRlcyI6ImRlbWVudGlhLCBlc3RlbGxlIGdldHR5IiwicGFnZUxhbmd1YWdlIjoiZW5fVVMiLCJwYWdlVHlwZSI6InBvc3QiLCJyZWZlcnJlciI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbC5mYWNlYm9vay5jb20vIiwiZmFjZWJvb2siOiJ0cnVlIn0=\">Getty was 84 when she died 2008, peacefully in her sleep.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsner-ff20de2bae4883dd31411716540fab69\" class=\"newsner-ff20de2bae4883dd31411716540fab69 newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-132863 lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/07\/24142816\/shutterstock_1386161150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"313\" height=\"502\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/07\/24142816\/shutterstock_1386161150.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"623\" data-eio-rheight=\"1000\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bea Arthur died one year later at 86, Rue McLanahan was 76 when she died in 2010, and the beloved Betty White died in 2021 at age 99.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kept in touch with Estelle as long as she could stay in touch, as long as she knew who I was,\u201d McClanahan said. \u201cI got a huge kick out of her, always. She told very funny stories about New York.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Adored by fans as the tart-tongued octogenarian Sophia on the hit comedy series\u00a0Golden Girls, Estelle Getty left a huge void in the heart of Hollywood when she died in 2008. &nbsp; For years, Getty, struggled quietly and eventually lost her life to a vicious disease. Getty\u2019s birthday falls on July 25, let\u2019s remember her as&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/?p=880\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Final days of \u2018Golden Girl\u2019 Estelle Getty\u2019s life \u2013 she struggled with a disease&rdquo;<\/span> &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsx48.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}