Estelle Getty, who played the funny Sophia Petrillo on the award winning TV show The Golden Girls, has passed away at the age of 84, just three days before her 85th birthday. She had been battling Lewy Body Dementia for several years.

Estelle passed away at 5:35 AM this morning at her L.A. home surrounded by her family and caregivers. Getty had been suffering for years with Lewy Body Dementia.

The show aired from 1985 to 1992. Getty was in all 172 episodes during that period.

She was nominated for seven Emmy Awards for The Golden Girls and won the award in 1988 for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series’.

Getty, who played the oldest of the ‘Golden Girls,’ was actually the second youngest. Bea Arthur (her daughter on the show) is 86 as is former co-star Betty White. Rue McClanahan who played Blanche was the youngest of the four. McClanahan is currently 74-years old.

Sophia was Dorothy’s mom on the show and lived with her, Rose and Blanche in their Miami home.  Sophie often called her daughter “Pussycat” and enjoyed poking fun at Blanche’s sex life.

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