The Tidbit

Yesterday, the world lost a fabulous talent. Katherine Helmond passed away to complications due to Alzheimer’s, she was 89. The actress had a remarkable career, with roles in Brazil and on Soap; her most memorable role came from family fun on Who’s the Boss? 

I’ve always been of the opinion that Who’s the Boss? was one of the greatest sitcoms of all-time. The series ran from 1984 -1992 and co-starred Helmond as Mona, the vivacious mother of Judith Light’s Angela. Many of the laughs (and certainly almost all of the innuendo) came from Mona, a well-written character, but nothing without Helmond’s talent.

I’ve had many-a conversation which asserted that “the Boss” was not Tony (played by Tony Danza) or Angela, but in fact Mona, as she acted as something of a puppeteer for rest of the characters. While viewers were pulling for Tony and Angela to finally get together, Mona was the one attempting to orchestrate it all.

Last summer when interviewing Tony Danza for The Tidbit, Danza agreed that his co-star was deserving the title of “the Boss”. “I will give up the title, and I know Judith [Light] would, and I know the kids [Alyssa Milano and Danny Pintauro] would, to the great Katherine Helmond,” said Danza. “She’s 89 now, by the way. That’s who I think [is the “Boss”]. She’s my soulmate, she really is.”

When Mona wasn’t busy cracking quips within the home, she was out doing what all grandmothers do – dating different men each night of the week. One of the most memorable, sex-crazed Mona Moments was when she returned from a lavaliere pinning ceremony at a frat house (ya know, like all grandmothers do) and couldn’t find the pin her college-aged boyfriend had given her. Her grandson Jonathon (played by Danny Pintauro) spots it…on the back of her sweater. Check out some other awesome Mona Moments here.

The cast of the show remember their co-star on social media.