Estelle Getty Dies

Estelle Getty, who played the wisecracking Sophia Petrillo on "The Golden Girls," died Tuesday. She was 84 years old.

According to USA Today, Getty, who had been ill with advanced dementia for several years, died at her Hollywood Boulevard home early Tuesday morning. Her son Carl Gettleman said: "She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents."

On "The Golden Girls," Getty starred as a grandmother who lived with her adult daughter (played by Bea Arthur) and two other roommates (played by Betty White and Rue McClanahan). The show was a hit for NBC and aired for seven years, from 1985 to 1992. In addition to her time on "Golden Girls," Getty also guest-starred on several other television shows, including "Newhart," "Blossom," "Empty Nest," and "Mad About You." --Chris Sardelli