Estelle Getty Dies at 84

Actress Estelle Getty, best known to television viewers for her role as Sophia on The Golden Girls and a star of the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy, has died at age 84. She had suffered for many years with dementia.

Getty played the role of Mrs. Beckoff in Torch Song, for which she received a Drama Desk nomination. It was her only Broadway appearance. She also appeared in the show’s L.A. tour, which led her to be cast on The Golden Girls. Her other film and television credits included Tootsie, Copacabana, and Mannequin.

She is survived by her sons Carl and Barry.