Rue McClanahan, the Emmy-winning actress who starred as Blanche Devereaux on TV’s “The Golden Girls,” died of a stroke Thursday in a New York hospital. McClanahan was 76.
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As with the recent celebrity deaths of Gary Coleman and Dennis Hopper, McClanahan was surrounded by family when she died. Her manager, Barbara Lawrence, told media she passed away at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
McClanahan’s career ended in the same state where it started — on a New York stage in the 1950s. But TV was where she skyrocketed to stardom, notably when producer Norman Lear cast McClanahan in the 1971 CBS hit series “All in the Family.”
Soon after, she appeared in Lear’s “Maude,” but she’ll be remembered by most across generations for her work in “The Golden Girls,” which ran from 1985 until 1992. McClanahan’s Emmy for best lead actress came in 1987.
Only Betty White of “The Golden Girls” is still alive today. Estelle Getty died in 2008, and Bea Arthur died in 2009.
McClanahan worked on TV as recently as last year, when she appeared in “Meet the Browns” which was taped in 2009.
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