LOS ANGELES, June 4 – Actress Rue McClanahan, who found fame in the long-running US television sitcom "Golden Girls", died Thursday at age 76, People magazine reported on its website.
McClanahan, who played the man-hungry Blanche Devereaux in the popular series which ran for seven years from 1986 to 1992, passed away after suffering a massive stroke, her manager Barbara Lawrence told People.
Lawrence was not immediately available for comment.
McClanahan, who had suffered a minor stroke earlier this year following heart surgery, died surrounded by her family, Lawrence told People.
"She went in peace," she told the magazine.
McClanahan\’s death leaves Betty White, 88, as the only one surviving member from the cast of the, which centered around four elderly women sharing a Miami home.
McClanahan\’s costar, Beatrice Arthur, died from cancer in 2009, one year after the death of Estelle Getty in 2008.
McClanahan\’s acting career spanned six decades, beginning in off-Broadway theater in 1957 before her television debut in the early 1970s.
She had a recurring role on the sitcom Maude between 1972 and 1978, where she starred alongside Bea Arthur, but it was "Golden Girls" which catapulted her into the big-time.
The colorful backstory of McClanahan\’s character on the show was mirrored by her own personal life — she was married no fewer than six times.
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