Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, 76, Dies

Rue McClanahan, best known for her role as Blanche on The Golden Girls, died Thursday in Manhattan at 76.

Like Blanche, McClanahan was celebrated for her quick wit and snarky humor. When asked if she was similar to the character she played, she famously told the interviewer, "Well, Blanche was an oversexed, self-involved, man-crazy, vain Southern belle from Atlanta – and I’m not from Atlanta."

The Golden Girls ran for seven years from 1985 to 1992, though it has been in syndication across multiple channels for years. The show was highly successful and according to a recent New York Times article, was considered a "progenitor of shows like Sex and the City."

Of the four main characters, Betty White, 88, is now the only one surviving — Estelle Getty passed away in 2008, and Bea Arthur passed away last year.

WE tv will air a marathon of its favorite episodes circling around Blanche tonight from 5 pm. to 1 a.m. –ELENA COX