It is always sad to report when someone passes away.  Bea Arthur died Saturday morning at the age of 86 from cancer.  Spokesperson for the family Dan Watt, told the Associated Press:

“She died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family by her side, said Watt, who remembered Arthur as “a brilliant and witty woman.”

She starred in ‘Maude’ from 1972 to 1978 and then later on as the outspoken and sometimes abrasive Dorothy Zbornak on ‘Golden Girls’  which ran from 1985 to 1992.  Another star of the show, Estelle Getty died in July of 2008.  On Saturday Betty White said about her friend and costar:

“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,” White said in a statement Saturday. “How lucky I was to know her.”

Married and divorced twice, Bea once said about being typecast:

“Look – I’m 5-feet-9, I have a deep voice and I have a way with a line. What can I do about it? I can’t stay home waiting for something different. I think it’s a total waste of energy worrying about typecasting.”

She is survived by her two adopted sons Matthew, 47, and Daniel, 44.  Our condolences to the family.

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Photo:  WENN.com