Rue McClanahan was 76

Rue McClanahan, who played Southern belle Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls has died at the age of 76.

McClanahan died of a brain hemorrhage yesterday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, her manager Barbara Lawrence anounced.

Betty White, the sole surviving star of The Golden Girls said: ‘Rue was a close and dear friend. I treasured our relationship. It hurts more than I even thought it would, if that's possible.’

A former drama student, she moved to New York in the Sixties to try to make it as a actress – and although it was difficult for many years, she eventually started picking up roles.

She moved from stage to screen in the Seventies, first pairing up with fellow Golden Girl Bean Arthur in the sitcom Maude, which ran for six years from 1972.

And her fame spread more when she landed the part of the man-hungry Blanche in 1985, in a series that would run until 1992.

McClanahan had a heart bypass last year, and in 1997 was treated for breast cancer.

Married six times, she called her 2007 autobiography: My First Five Husbands … And the Ones Who Got Away."

She separated from husband No 6, Morrow Wilson, last year and leaves behind a son.

Published: 4 Jun 2010