Half of the Golden Girls have officially passed away. *Sigh* Bea Arthur, known for two major roles – the namesake character of “Maude” and Dorothy on “The Golden Girls” – died this morning of cancer in her home. She was 86. Both shows were immensely popular and each garnered Emmys for Arthur. “Maude” tackled such hot-button topics as abortion and pornography, while “The Golden Girls” proved that you could make a show around a bunch of old retired ladies really popular. Arthur follows her TV mom, Estelle Getty, in death – Getty, who was actually younger than Arthur, died last year. source