Thank You for Being a Friend

It was with profound sadness that I read about Estelle Getty's death today.  At the age of 84, she passed away from the advanced onset of dementia. 



I can remember watching "Golden Girls" when I was little and getting about half of the wry humor Getty delivered as the wicker-handbag-toting Sophia Petrillo.  The show debuted in 1985 when I was just six years old and ran for seven years.



But my true love for the show came from my first year of grad school.  Reruns of the classic comedy ran on Lifetime at 7 and 7:30, and it wasn't unusual for me to park my TV tray (and sometimes my "TV dinner") in front of the back-to-back "Golden Girls" goodness.  The jokes seemed smarter; the friendships more understandable.  I'd even go so far as to say that the sitcom actually is one of the precursors to "Sex & the City."  No really.  The level of adult humor in that show is astounding for the age of the women, the stage of their lives, and the prime time spot it occupied for years.



Getty was the youngest of the foursome and almost didn't snag the role because of her incongruous youth.  Thank goodness the producers took a second look.  Picture it.  Siciliy.  1940.



Rest in peace, Estelle.