Actress Rue McClanahan, who was a favorite of the gay community, passed away June 3 at the age of 76, People.com reported.
“She passed away at 1 a.m. this morning,” her manager, Barbara Lawrence, said. “She had a massive stroke.”
McClanahan, who played Blanche Deveraux on the still-popular TV series The Golden Girls (which originally ran 1985-1992), had suffered a minor stroke earlier this year while recovering from bypass surgery.
Among the series McClanahan co-starred in were the ’70s classic Maude, Mama’s Family and Sordid Lives: The Series. She also guest-starred on shows such as Fantasy Island, The Love Boat and Touched by an Angel. She won an Emmy for her role on The Golden Girls.