Golden Girl" Beatrice "Bea" Arthur passed away in her home in the early morning hours of April 25 at the age of 86. She had been battling cancer for many years.
Arthur's big break came in the 1970s when she was invited by Norman Lear to guest-star on his sitcom "All in the Family," as Maude Findlay.
After appearing in several other television series, Arthur made her way to the hit sitcom "The Golden Girls," in which she played Dorothy Zbornak, a divorced substitute teacher living in a Miami house.
She won an Emmy for both her roles in "All in the Family" and in "Golden Girls." Arthur was also inducted into the Academy's Hall of Fame in 2008.
Later in her career, after leaving "The Golden Girls," she made several guest appearances on television shows and organized and toured in her one-woman show, "An Evening with Bea Arthur," also known as "And Then There's Bea."
Bea Arthur not only won two Emmy's for her most popular television roles, but she also won a Tony Award in 1966 as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance that year as Vera Charles in the original Broadway production of "Mame." In June 2008, Arthur was awarded the Pop Culture award at the Sixth Annual TV Land Awards by "The Golden Girls."
Arthur was a committed animal rights activist and frequently supported PETA.
On April 28, the marquees of New York City's Broadway theater district were dimmed for one minute in Arthur's honor at 8:00 p.m.
R.I.P!!! You will be missed!!!
