Bea Arthur and Betty White issued statements to US Weekly to pay tribute to and mourn the loss of their Golden Girls co-star and friend, Estelle Getty, who passed away at the age of 84 years old earlier this morning:

Bea Arthur has released a statement to Usmagzine.com after the death of her Golden Girls co-star Estelle Getty: “Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her” … Saddened by the news, Betty White (who played the naïve Rose) told Us, “The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us.”
Again, this is very sad news … I imagine it is very difficult for those people who knew Estelle and were close to her but I know that legions of fans are feeling the loss today as well. It’s hard to imagine the feisty Sophia Petrillo succumbing to death … I think Betty White is absolutely right in her belief that Sophia will always be with us. Her legacy will truly live on … even still, this is just really sad news.



