'Golden Girls' star Bea Arthur dies at 86 By LYNN ELBER – 22 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Beatrice Arthur, the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines made her a TV star in the hit shows "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" and who won a Tony Award for the musical "Mame," died Saturday. She was 86.
Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side, family spokesman Dan Watt said. She had cancer, Watt said, declining to give further details.
"She was a brilliant and witty woman," said Watt, who was Arthur's personal assistant for six years. "Bea will always have a special place in my heart."
Arthur first appeared in the landmark comedy series "All in the Family" as Edith Bunker's loudly outspoken, liberal cousin, Maude Finley. She proved a perfect foil for blue-collar bigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), and their blistering exchanges were so entertaining that producer Norman Lear fashioned Arthur's own series.
Arthur is survived by her sons and two granddaughters. No funeral services are planned.
Somewhere up there today, Bea and Estelle are together again, eating a cheesecake.
Posted by Siouxsie Sam and the Hainshees (Member # 3150) on :
awwww I always liked her
RIP Maude
Posted by pettyfan (Member # 2260) on :
Aww, how sad! I loved the Golden Girls...
Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
Very sad to hear....
Posted by ISIS (Member # 1780) on :
That's a bummer, this is the first I heard of it.
Posted by Ronnie (Member # 465) on :
she was one of my favorite sitcom characters ever. i was so sad when i heard about it, i literally was bummed. hope she's in a better place... at least she's no longer suffering. RIP bea.. we will never forget you Posted by saturnchick (Member # 7524) on :
What sad news. The Golden Girls is my favorite comedy of the 80s/90s. I absolutely love that show, and to think that 1/2 of the Golden Girls are now gone...
Posted by Kash (Member # 297) on :
Good actress, Bea always had those dry one-liners down to a tee.
Posted by Stitch Groover (Member # 2895) on :
I found this on YouTube, it's pretty funny. There are lots of Golden Girls clips on YouTube, it's a gold mine.
This is a SEx and the City parody starring Bea Arthur, Charlotte Rae, Katherine Helmond and Sally Struthers.
I was just watching some "Maude" on YouTube, I've never seen it before. I didn't know that Rue McClanahan also starred in the show, as did Conrad Bain (Mr Drummond) and Florida from Good Times.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)