Rue McClanahan Dies at 76

Emmy Award winner Rue McClanahan, best known for her starring role of Blanche Deveraux on the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls, has died of a massive stroke, according to People.com.

McClanahan was first diagnosed with acute cardiac illness in November, and underwent bypass surgery at that time. In January, she suffered a minor stroke while recovering.

The actress got her first major role in a Broadway show in the 1966 production of Murray Schisgal and John Sebastian’s musical Jimmy Shine, which starred Dustin Hoffman. She received an Obie Award for her performance in Oliver Hailey’s Who’s Happy Now, and later reprised her role in a television version of the play.

She was most recently seen on Broadway as Madame Morrible in Wicked, with additional Main Stem credits including The Women, California Suite, and Sticks and Bones.

The actress’ other numerous television credits include All in the Family, Maude, Murder She Wrote, Sordid Lives and Touched by an Angel. She received four Emmy nominations for her work in The Golden Girls, winning in 1987.

In 2008, McClanahan released her memoir, My First Five Husbands..And the Ones Who Got Away.