Obituaries in Brief

Isaac Montero

The Spanish novelist Isaac Montero who died on 11 September aged 71, was best known for his novel Ladron de Lunas [Thief of Moons], for which he was awarded the Critics' Prize in 1999. A social realist, he was noted for his satirical take on Spanish society under General Franco, as well as the democracy that followed the dictator's death in 1975. His ire was directed at what he saw as the "lack of inspiration and ethical principles" in modern society.

Estelle Getty

The most celebrated role of Estelle Getty, who died on 22 July aged 84, was that of Sophia Petrillo in Golden Girls, the US sitcom that ran from 1985 until 1992. Although she played the mother of Dorothy Zbornak, played by Beatrice Arthur, she was in fact a year younger than Arthur, who said on her death, "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her."

Doris GIbson

Doris Gibson, who died on 23 August aged 98, founded and edited the Peruvian news magazine Caretas [Masks], and was a thorn in the side of several regimes. Caretas was closed down eight times, mostly by General Velasco's dictatorship in the '70s. "She could be very creative in how she overcame the closures," her granddaughter Diana said. "With her everything was possible."