Gay fave Bea Arthur of "Golden Girls" dies at age 86

In very sad news, Golden Girls and Maude star Bea Arthur died today at age 86. The TV and Broadway star reportedly died after suffering from cancer. Her family was at her bedside and say she passed peacefully. 

Arthur is the second of the four Golden Girls to die. Estelle Getty, who played Sophia, died last year at age 84. Rue McClanahan and Betty White are the two surviving Golden Girls.

Both the Golden Girls and the stars themselves were wildly popular among certain gay men. Indeed, there is an entire book devoted to the show just for gay men called The Q Guide to The Golden Girls. The show's pilot actually included a gay character, a housekeeper named Coco played by Charles Levin, but the character was dropped after the pilot. 

My own mother, who passed away last year, was a huge fan of The Golden Girls and I remember spending many hours watching the show and laughing together with her.  Thanks for being a friend, Bea. 

Feel free to share your own thoughs about Arthur after the jump (where I've also posted more pictures).