Picture It, Hollywood, 2008

I make so secret my affection for one of the funniest comedies of the 1980s – The Golden Girls. The dynamic between the four women in the cast is unmatched.

Yesterday the youngest Golden Girl, though she played the oldest, died. Estelle Getty, who played Sophia Petrillo, died at age 84 after suffering for the past few years with dementia.

Sophia was known for her stinging comments about her daughter Dorothy, played by actress Bea Arthur, her fear of returning to Shady Pines, a retirement home, and her stories filled with wisdom and advice. Sophia’s stories always started with “Picture it” followed by a place and a year. Some of the funniest moments came from these stories. Getty also received seven Emmy award nominations and one win for her playing of Sophia.

Getty will be sorely missed, and hopefully the Golden Girls will live on forever in syndication. Here’s a YouTube video featuring clips of Getty as Sophia, but is only a small fraction of the great work she did on the series.