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.
Very sad news indeed. One of the funniest women I've ever seen on TV, and how I wish I could have seen her live on stage in TORCH SONG TRILOGY. RIP, Ms. Getty, you will not be forgotten.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
"Picture it: Miami, 1987. A house--the only one in the neighborhood without a pool, but I digress. Four women, friends. They laugh, they cry, they eat; they love, they hate, they eat; every time you turn around, they eat. The point I'm trying to make here is, what's going on here is living. Just because you have some rough times doesn't mean you throw in the towel. You go on living...and eating."
For this and so many more, we'll miss you, Estelle.
"There is no problem so big that it cannot be run away from."
~ Charles M. Schulz
So very sad to learn of Estelle's passing. I saw Torch Song Trilogy numerous times and was an avid fan long before her Golden Girls fame. I also had the pleasure of knowing her on a personal level. After the show, the TST cast would rendezvous at the old Ted Hook's Backstage on 45th Street. She was an absolute doll, always stopped by at my table (or vice versa) and always had kind words for everyone. And she almost stole the show from Harvey every time. Bless you, Estelle. You lit up so many people's lives. RIP.
She was such an amazing talent that she even made dreck like Stop or My Mother Will Shoot funny....Now that takes talent and she had more in one raise of the eyebrow them many of the actors today have in their whole career.
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
I'm so saddened by this news. Truy, truly. Ms. Getty and I shared a birthday, July 25th. Estelle, here's hoping the 85th is celebrated upstairs. My love, warmest of regards, and thanks for the memories. Forever indebted for the laughter and the love. Thank you for being a friend. RIP - Mike
This is truly sad news, but I'm sure she's somewhere better, making people laugh, and eating cheesecake. Thank you for being a friend to so many of us. Rest in Peace.
You brought laughter to many a sad day. Rest In Peace, Estelle, you will be missed by all.
"He found something that he wanted, had always wanted and always would want— not to be admired, as he had feared; not to be loved, as he had made himself believe; but to be necessary to people, to be indispensable."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise
