Rue McClanahan has died at age 76 after suffering a massive stroke, according to news reports, and the entertainment world mourns yet another loss.  McClanahan had a long and full career – remember that she worked with Bea Arthur on “Maude” long before “The Golden Girls” brought them together – but she is best known for her portrayal of Blanche Devereaux, the sex-crazed “id” character on “Girls.”

I was a loyal Golden Girls watcher in the late ’80s, and I remember many a Saturday night when I munched chips and watched it and “Empty Nest” on the couch of a babysitting client.  More recently, reruns on Lifetime and We networks have saved me from many an insomniatic night. 

So in honor and memory of Rue McClanahan, please enjoy these “best of” moments from a character who said what she thought, thought much of herself, but was a friend her girls could always be thankful for.

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