Estelle Getty made us laugh on Golden Girls, but her final few years were anything from simple. I was clueless.

Sophia Petrillo, the oldest of the Golden Girls, was portrayed by the actress Estelle Getty, who rose to stardom in movies much later in life after having a great Broadway career.

When Getty was chosen to perform in the Broadway production of The Torch Song in 1982, it was her big break. She went on to play the pivotal part of Mrs. Beckhoff both on and off Broadway in the years that followed.

Getty made sure she appeared older than she actually was at her Golden Girls audition because she was so determined to land the part. According to rumors, she even carried the renowned straw purse with her throughout the seven seasons. Actually, Sophia, played by Getty, was a year younger than Dorothy, Sophia’s daughter, who was portrayed by Beatrice Arthur.

With her white curls, huge glasses, floral house dresses, and cardigan sweaters, Sophia became a much loved character who made millions laugh. Even today, years after Getty’s passing, her character brings joy and laughter in many people’s lives through the series’ re-runs. 

Golden Girls ran for seven seasons, Getty then reprised her role in Golden Palace, a one-season 1992 show, and later in Empty Nest.

Getty was the first one of the cast of the legendary series to pass away. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain condition that is commonly confused with Alzheimer’s. This caused her difficulties memorizing her lines. 

Her co-stars shared that Getty would ask for cue cards and would experience panic episodes. 

“She 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,” Rue McClanahan, who died of stroke in 2010, said back in the day. “Finally, 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.”

Getty, 84, softly passed away in her sleep in 2008.

Carl Gettleman, her son, claims that Getty’s co-stars did not show up for her burial. Carl expressed his disappointment that Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan did not attend the memorial service shortly after his mother’s demise to Inside Edition.

They undoubtedly would have been welcomed. Why they wouldn’t be at mom’s funeral is beyond me. Perhaps it’s painful,” he added. “I would have been there if it had been someone I had been that close to and had worked with all those years.”