It really seems like for the last few weeks in entertainment news, we’ve had to read and write more than enough obituaries, but this next one just hit all of us today like a bolder.
Emmy Award-winning actress Rue McClanahan, everyone’s favorite ‘Golden Girl’ has died. Known as the sexually liberated (and at times promiscuous) Blanche Devereaux, the actress was 76-years-old when she passed just after midnight of a stroke according to her manager Barbara Lawrence.
We’re very sad to see now that our ‘Golden Girls’ have aged, many of them are leaving this earthly realm. McClanahan’s beloved role, which began in 1985 as she co-starred alongside Beatrice Arthur, Betty White and Estelle Getty in “The Golden Girls,” broke the mold in television history. The sitcom boldly focused on the four aging women as they lived together in a beautiful, picturesque Miami chateau. Often eccentric and hilarious, their lives showed just how many layers we add or remove as we continue to grow into ourselves and nurture those friendships and relationships we cherish so much.
As an evening television favorite, I personally am reflecting on the shock of this news. One after another, we’re losing some of the most iconic faces and voices in mainstream entertainment. An inevitable thing it may be, but wow. Some of us around here just can’t get over this one.
Looking back to 2008 when we lost Estelle Getty, then just a year later it was Beatrice Arthur and now Rue’s gone, too? I can just about see the marathons running for awhile now. As a special tribute, please find your way down this page to view the ‘Golden Girls’ photo gallery we’ve packaged for all the avid fans. Tell us what you think.
Ok, Cincinnati, now it’s on you. Are there any of your favorite ‘Golden Girls’ episodes you’d like to share here with us? Post your thoughts, responses and even condolences in the comments section below. We want to hear from you and we want to know how you’re going to remember our good friend Rue McClanahan, better known as our beloved Blanche.
For additional reports on McClanahan’s death, check out what everyone else is saying at People.com. Visit the LA Times online for the official obituary.
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