‘Golden Girls’ Co-Stars Remember Bea Arthur

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Legends,Deaths,Golden Girls,Rue McClanahan,Celebrities,TV
 
 
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  • Betty White, Bea Arthur, and Rue McClanahan accept the Pop Culture Award onstage during the 6th annual ‘TV Land Awards’ held at Barker Hangar on June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, California
  • ‘Golden Girls’ stars Betty White, Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan reunite in New York in 2005
  • Beatrice Arthur (as Maude Findlay) (left) comforts a distraught Rue McClanahan (as Vivian Cavender Harmon) in a scene from the television show ‘Maude,’ Los Angeles, California, mid 1970s
  • Bea Arthur arrives at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 2008 Hall of Fame Ceremony in December 2008

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  • Getty Images

    Betty White, Bea Arthur, and Rue McClanahan accept the Pop Culture Award onstage during the 6th annual ‘TV Land Awards’ held at Barker Hangar on June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, California
  • Getty Images

    ‘Golden Girls’ stars Betty White, Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan reunite in New York in 2005
  • Getty Images

    Beatrice Arthur (as Maude Findlay) (left) comforts a distraught Rue McClanahan (as Vivian Cavender Harmon) in a scene from the television show ‘Maude,’ Los Angeles, California, mid 1970s
  • AP

    Bea Arthur arrives at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 2008 Hall of Fame Ceremony in December 2008
 
 

FIRST PUBLISHED: April 25, 2009 8:54 PM EDT
LAST UPDATED: April 25, 2009 10:31 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

TV icon Bea Arthur’s most famous was role may have been her part as Dorothy Zbornak on the Emmy-winning series “The Golden Girls” – and now, her on-screen roommates, Rose (played by Betty White) and Blanche (Rue McClanahan) have looked back at their time together with the late star, who passed away on Saturday.

“Bea was such an important part of a very happy time in my life and I have dearly loved her for a very long time. I’m grateful that she received her much deserved ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ when she did, so she could enjoy it,” Betty told Access Hollywood in a statement on Saturday. “How lucky I was to know her.”

And Rue, who also starred with Bea in the earlier comedy “Maude,” told Access that the late actress had been an inspiration to her.

“Thirty seven years ago, she showed me how to be very brave in playing comedy,” Rue said in a statement. “I’ll miss that courage. And I’ll miss that voice.”

Bea died on Saturday at the age of 86 after a battle with cancer, the Associated Press reported.

Copyright 2009 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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