New York ( CNN ) -- Emmy-winning `` Golden Girls '' actress Rue McClanahan died of a stroke in a New York hospital early Thursday , her manager said . She was 76 . McClanahan , who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage last Monday , was surrounded by family when she died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital , according to manager Barbara Lawrence . The actress ' career began on the New York stage in the 1950s , but her long television career was first boosted when producer Norman Lear cast McClanahan in his hit CBS series `` All in the Family '' in 1971 . She appeared in Lear 's `` Maude '' a year later . Her most memorable TV role was as Southern belle Blanche Devereaux on `` The Golden Girls , '' which ran from 1985 through 1992 . McClanahan won an Emmy for best lead actress in a comedy in 1987 . Betty White is the last surviving member of the four `` Golden Girls '' stars . `` Rue was a close and dear friend , '' White said Thursday . `` I treasured our relationship . It hurts more than I even thought it would , if that 's possible . '' Estelle Getty passed away in 2008 , and Bea Arthur died last year . McClanahan requested that no funeral be held for her , but memorial services will be announced for later this summer in New York and Los Angeles , California , Lawrence said . Fans can pay their respects online , a family statement said . `` Please join us in celebrating Rue 's amazing life '' by visiting a memorial page established for her on Facebook , the family said . McClanahan 's last comedic TV role was in an episode of Tyler Perry 's `` Meet the Browns , '' taped in 2009 . She carried the Devereaux character to three other TV series , including `` The Golden Palace , '' `` Empty Nest '' and `` Nurses . '' She was married six times and had one child . Her son , Mark Bish , was born in 1958 during a brief first marriage . Her present marriage to Morrow Wilson , starting in 1997 , was her longest . Her book `` My First Five Husbands ... And the Ones Who Got Away '' was published in 2007 . McClanahan was born in Healdton , Oklahoma , on February 21 , 1934 , to parents with Scottish and native American heritage . CNN 's Jack Hannah contributed to this report .
`` Rue was a close and dear friend , '' co-star Betty White says . Rue McClanahan 's family at hospital with star when she died . Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: White is last surviving `` Golden Girls '' star .