NEW YORK — Rue McClanahan, the Emmy-winning star of the popular '80s sitcom The Golden Girls, has died. She was 76.
McClanahan died Thursday at 1 a.m. from a massive stroke, her manager told the Associated Press.
Born in Healdton, Okla., McClanahan landed her first job off Broadway in 1957. Her first notable television role came 15 years later on Maude, a CBS series starring fellow Golden Girl Beatrice Arthur.
She struck gold in 1985 when she landed the role of man-happy Blanche Devereaux on Golden Girls, in which she co-starred with Arthur, Betty White and Estelle Getty. The NBC series ran for seven seasons and earned McClanahan an Emmy in 1997.
McClanahan was married six times: Tom Bish, with whom she had a son, Mark Bish; actor Norman Hartweg; Peter D'Maio; Gus Fisher; and Tom Keel. She is survived by husband Morrow Wilson, whom she married on Christmas Day in 1997.
"I've always been lucky enough to marry good cooks," she told People back in 1986. "One cooked Greek. One cooked Tex-Mex – chili and stuff." Then, with a laugh, she added, "True, one needed a recipe to make a peanut butter sandwich ..."
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