R.I.P. Golden Girls' Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 - June 3, 2010)

I first started watching Rue McLanahan and Bea Arthur together in Maude. Loved them, and followed them and Betty White happily to the Golden Girls, which I still adore. The comic timing those women had was brilliant. I also saw her in Nunsense, where she was uproarious and very different from Blanche. See for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IClzhQ4fLTI

Kim Pearson
BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://blogher.org/blog/kim-pearson )|KimPearson.net ( http://kimpearson.net )|

Oh my gosh!!! this is so so sad :(

I really liked and now deeply appreciate how good that show was - it was funny and topical at the same time.

Blanche just went for life and didn't think twice about it. There is going to be a heck of a welcome party on the upper deck tonight. Skateboarders huh? I'll start checking them out. ;-)

It has got to be a great way to leave the world; to have folks smile at the mention of your name.

Gena Haskett is a BlogHer CE.
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I loved her on Golden Girls she played that character well showing us "younger women" (at the time) that dating and sex wasn't over for the "older woman."

It is hard to watch the people that bring us moments of joy pass away. My mother finds it very difficult. She sees each of the actors she enjoyed leave and there is a sense of time and change that she is no longer comfortable with.

Thankfully, Ms. McClanahan's work lives on.

My mom loved the Golden Girls and would watch them faithfully. Rue will be missed as well as the other classy ladies from that show (Betty White is only 1 left) and others from that generation, like Dixie Carter.

Elizabeth

I tweet @texasebeth ( http://twitter.com/TexasEbeth ) , I blog at My Life, such as it is... ( http://texasebeth.blogspot.com/ ) & my Etsy shop, L ( http://www.landrdesigns.etsy.com/ )

Your nice southern accent - she probably took one look at you and just melted away. Heh.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager
Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

I had to opportunity to meet Mrs. Rue my senior year in college at a book signing in Union Square in NYC. It was for her My First Five Husbands book release and she was the nicest woman! She even signed for me the DVDs for the 1st season of GG! I think she especially adored it when I called her "Mrs. Rue"...

-Ashley-
http://www.honeysucklechic.com

So when I saw she was 76, I was shocked. Somehow in my mind she stopped aging around 55 years old. I think this speaks to how vibrant a person she is. Was. *sigh*

Devra Renner

@ParentopiaDevra on Twitter

Contributing Editor, Family Connections

I also write at: Parentopia ( http://www.parentopia.com/blog ), Draft Day Suit ( http://www.draftdaysuit.com ),

Such a gift. And an interesting women. According to Wikipedia, she had six marriages, and "McClanahan had a torrid affair with pro-skateboarder Brad Builderhoun during the first season of Golden Girls." (Which is a weird statement in her bio, given that not much else was said about her relationships. But you go, Golden Girl.)

Deb Rox

3 Smart Girlz ( http://www.3smartgirlz.com/ ) consulting

Blog ( http://www.debontherocks.com/ ) like a freaking butterfly, sting like a Tweet. ( http://www.twitter.com/debontherocks )

I loved Mama's Family. So, so stupid and stupidly funny. Loved. But I'll imagine her drinking wine on the lanai forever because that's a better deal.

It is cool when public response to a loss is pretty much universally fond. It doesn't happen very often so it's nice to read.

Laurie
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