Actress Estelle Getty, whose portrayal of crabby-yet-charming mother hen Sophia Petrillo on the television sitcom “The Golden Girls” gave new prominence to elderly characters in prime time, died Tuesday at the age of 84.

Getty, who was born in Manhattan in 1923, the daughter of Polish immigrants, was suffering from Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disease. She died at her Hollywood Boulevard home in Los Angeles.

Getty, who was nominated seven years in a row for an Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy series – winning in 1988 – for “Golden Girls,” had always played maternal types on the stage during her career. 

“I’ve played mothers to heroes and mothers to zeroes,” Getty wrote in her autobiography, If I Knew Then What I Know Now … So What. “I’ve played Irish mothers, Jewish mothers, Italian mothers, southern mothers, mothers in plays by Neil Simon and Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. I’ve played mother to everyone but Attila the Hun.”

Getty appeared in two “Golden Girls” spinoffs, “Empty Nest” and “The Golden Palace,” and acted in guest spots on other shows. She played Sylvester Stallone’s mother in the 1992 comedy “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.”

"Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her," said Bea Arthur, who played Sophia’s daughter on “Golden Girls.”

In addition to her son Carl Gettleman, Getty is survived by son Barry Gettleman, of Miami; a brother, David Scher of London; and a sister, Rosilyn Howard of Las Vegas.