You would think that I would be prepared for this day, because I certainly did. No. My jaw just dropped when a friend messaged me saying so sorry to hear about Bea. I said “WHAT?, where did you hear this”, being stuff like this is thrown at me all the time. But, as I have always said, I won’t believe it until I see it on CNN. Well, it was on MSNBC’s web site, so if that isn’t a confirmation enough, I don’t know what is. However, as I write this, I am now seeing it as breaking news on CNN. I am in shock, as I, nor anyway in the public knew that she had cancer. I’m sure more will be released in the future about these details.
In the meantime, let me just say that my thoughts and prayers to go her family and friends that had the private knowledge of Bea’s cancer and decline, in which I’m sure they have been secretly concerned about all this time.
I’m going to post this up right now, but will be updating it when more information is present. At of this moment, it is only breaking news that she passed away this morning from cancer. No further information is available as of this original posting. So stay tuned, as always.
She really appreciated her fans, you. So, don’t forget that! Don’t be sad today, instead break out your Golden Girls and Maude DVDs and remember why we loved that dry-wit sense of humor that got us through our own personal hard times in life. That is what friends are for, thank you Bea.
This site is understandably getting hit hard today, so it’s going up and down a lot. Feel free to follow my twitter as I will be posting on there as well. www.twitter.com/vectorlyme
Kev!
Beatrice Arthur – May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009
CNN.com
EOnline.com
TMZ.com
LA Times
joemygod.blogspot.com
:: Additional tidbits and points of interest from news sources ::
• “Maude,” “Golden Girls” star was at home with family in Los Angeles
• No funeral services are currently planned, the family asked that donations be made to either the Art Attack Foundation or PETA in lieu of flowers.
A note I just received from Bea’s assistant/spokesperson ::On behalf of the Art Attack Foundation we are deeply saddened by the loss of one of Broadway and Television’s greatest, Bea Arthur.
Ms. Arthur broke into the American theatre scene in 1954 when she performed in a production of Three-Penny Opera. Miss Arthur followed her stage debut with another successful off-Broadway musical, The Shoestring Revue. In 1964 it was the role of Yenter, the matchmaker, in Fiddler on the Roof, which made her truly famous. A year later she won her greatest Broadway acclaim in Mame. Starring opposite Angela Lansbury, her portrayal of Vera Charles, a savagely witty and serpent-tongued woman earned her a Tony Award in 1966.
Famed producer Norman Lear took note of Miss Arthur in The Shoestring Review, and convinced her to do a guest role as Edith Bunker’s cousin, Maude, on All in the Family. Her character was so intriguing that she got her own show in 1972. Bea won an Emmy for best actress in a comedy series for her work on Maude. Next, Arthur joined the cast of The Golden Girls, for which she also won an Emmy. The show ran seven years.
Bea’s career encompassed all area’s of the performing arts which is why she was the perfect fit to be our Chairperson. As a way to say “thank you” for Miss Arthur’s support through the years, the Art Attack Foundation has decided to create a special scholarship in her name that will be given to those with exceptional talent and drive in the performing arts. Bea, you were an inspiration to many and you will be truly missed.
With Love,
Dan Watt
Founder/Executive Director
Art Attack Foundation
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