Stars that died in 2023

In 2024, we've experienced the loss of several luminaries in the world of entertainment. These beloved figures—actors, comedians, musicians, singers, and coaches—have touched our lives with their talent, passion, and dedication. They've left an indelible mark on our hearts and shaped the world of entertainment in ways that will continue to inspire and influence generations to come. Among the incredible actors who bid farewell this year, we mourn the loss of a true chameleon who effortlessly.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Rue McClanahan, American actress (The Golden Girls, Maude), has died of a stroke she was 76

Rue McClanahan was an American actress, known for her roles as Vivian Cavender Harmon on Maude, Fran Crowley on Mama's Family, and Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls, a role that won her the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1987.

(February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010)

McClanahan was born Eddi-Rue McClanahan in Healdton, Oklahoma, the daughter of Dreda Rheua-Nell (née Medaris), a beautician, and William Edwin McClanahan, a building contractor.^[2]^[3]^[4]

a younger Rue McClanahan

She was of Irish and Choctaw Indian ancestry, and grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma; she graduated from Ardmore High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Tulsa; she majored in German and theater and was a member of the sorority Kappa Alp h a Theta.

McClanahan made her professional stage debut at Pennsylvania's Erie Playhouse in 1957 in the play Inherit the Wind. She began acting on off-Broadway in New York City in 1957, but did not make her Broadway debut until 1969 when she portrayed Sally Weber in the original production of John Sebastian and Murray Schisgal's musical, Jimmy Shine, with Dustin Hoffman in the title role.

Her role as Caroline Johnson on Another World (from July 1970 to September 1971) brought her notoriety. On the show, while taking care of twins Michael and Marianne Randolph, Caroline fell in love with their father, John, and began poisoning their mother, Pat. The short-term role was extended to more than a year before Caroline was finally brought to justice after kidnapping the twins. Once her role on Another World ended, Rue joined the cast of the CBS soap Where the Heart Is, in which she played Margaret Jardin.

The handprints of Rue McClanahan in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

Cast of Maude

In Maude, broadcast from 1972 to 1978, McClanahan played Maude's (Bea Arthur) best friend, Vivian Harmon.

In The Golden Girls, broadcast from 1985 until 1992 and in The Golden Palace for one year afterwards, McClanahan portrayed man-crazed

Southern belle Blanche Devereaux. Devereaux was the owner of a house inhabited by four roommates: herself, Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), Rose Nylund (Betty White), and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty). She received an Emmy Award in 1987 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on the show.

She also appeared as a leader of Al-Anon in a 1970's informational video called "Slight Drinking Problem," in which Patty Duke played the enabling and eventually self-empowered wife of an alcoholic.

In cinema, McClanahan starred in 1961's The Rotten Apple, as well as Walk the Angry Beach in 1968. In 1971 she played a vicious fag hag in the film Some of My Best Friends Are... which was set in a gay bar.

In 1990, McClanahan starred as Matilda Joslyn Gage, mother-in-law of L. Frank Baum in the made-for-TV-movie The Dreamer of Oz.

McClanahan also guest starred on Newhart, played Aunt Fran on the first season of Mama's Family and was honored at the 2008 TV Land Awards for the cast's role in the Golden Girls, at which she was present.

She also appeared in the episode "Blue's Big Treasure Hunt," from the children's show Blue's Clues (animated), 1999, as Grandma Burns.

An animal welfare advocate and vegetarian, McClanahan was one of the first celebrity supporters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

A Democrat, in December 2003, she wrote a letter informing Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry that his pheasant hunting had cost him her vote and respect.

In 2003 she appeared in the musical romantic comedy film The Fighting Temptations as Nancy Stringer, which co-starred Cuba Gooding Jr., Beyonce Knowles, Mike Epps and Steve Harvey. She replaced Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible in the music al Wicked on May 31, 2005. She played the role for eight months and departed the cast on January 8, 2006. She was replaced by Carol Kane on January 10, 2006.

Her autobiography, My First Five Husbands . . . and the Ones Who Got Away, was released in 2007.

In June 2008, The Golden Girls was awarded the 'Pop Culture' award at the Sixth Annual TV Land Awards. Rue accepted the award with co-stars Bea Arthur and Betty White.

McClanahan's last acting role was in the cable series Sordid Lives on the Logo network, which premiered July 23, 2008, playing Peggy Ingram, the older sister of Sissy Hickey and mother of Latrelle, LaVonda and Earl "Brother Boy".

In June 1997 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, from which she completely recovered.

On November 14, 2009, she was to be honored for her lifetime achievements at an event "Golden: A Gala Tribute To Rue McClanahan" at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, California.^[7] The event was postponed due to McClanahan's hospitalization. She had triple bypass surgery on November 4. It was announced on January 14, 2010, by Entertainment Tonight that, while recovering from surgery, she had suffered a minor stroke. In March 2010, Betty White reported on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that McClanahan was doing well and that her speech had returned to normal.^[8]

McClanahan died on June 3, 2010 at 1:00 a.m. in the New York–Presbyterian Hospital after she suffered another stroke and subsequently a brain hemorrhage. She was 76 years old. She died with her son, Mark Bish, her sister, Dr. Melinda L. McClanahan, and her nephew, Brendan Kinkade by her side.

According to her rep, "Last week, she told her publicist...she was doing great. She didn't feel well on Monday."

McClanahan's longtime friend Betty White, who co-starred with Rue on both Mama's Family and The Golden Girls, told Entertainment Tonight that Rue was a "close friend and dear friend" and that her death "hurts more than I ever thought it would".

McClanahan is survived by estranged husband Morrow Wilson (from whom she separated in 2009), by her son from her first marriage, Mark Bish of Austin, Texas, and by her sister, Melinda L. McClanahan, of Silver City, New Mexico. While there will be no funeral for McClanahan, as she did not wish to have one, her family has created an official memorial page on Facebook, and memorial services are planned for summer 2010 in New York and Los Angeles.

Nominations/awards

Emmy Nomination/Awards:

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for: The Golden Girls (1986)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for: The Golden Girls (1987) (Won)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for: The Golden Girls (1988)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for: The Golden Girls (1989)

Golden Globe Nominations:

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical for: The Golden Girls (1986)
Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical for: The Golden Girls (1987)
Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical for: The Golden Girls (1988)

Obie Awards (off-Broadway):