Rue McClanahan’s Death Mourned Again: ‘Golden Girls’ Actress’ Passing Makes Fresh Headlines

Golden Girls star Rue McClanahan died five years ago, but it seems that her fans just don’t want to let go. For what is now the third time since her passing, the actress’ name is making headlines for her death. Some might say that the character of Blanche Devereaux would have quite the laugh over this one.

As CBS News shares, the supposed “news” of Rue McClanahan’s death is making the rounds again. For those ready to mourn the iconic actress’ passing, it’s good to reflect on the fact that McClanahan actually died five years ago. In fact, it seems that the same type of headlines made the rounds last year as well.

McClanahan actually died on June 3, 2010, at the age of 76 after having a stroke. The news of her death hit the headlines again in June 2014, with many thinking it had just happened. And for a bit, that’s exactly what happened this week again as well. This type of mistake has happened with other stars over the years as well, as some noticed on Facebook not long ago with Rockford Files star James Garner.

The Washington Post notes that the buzz about Rue McClanahan’s death garnered buzz this week after “RIP Rue” notes made their way across Twitter and Facebook. In quite a few cases, posters were linking to the CBS News piece that shared the details of McClanahan’s death. It seems that those looking at the report skipped over the dateline indicating that the news actually came out five years ago.

Though the news of Rue McClanahan’s death is not new, the actress and her family and friends would surely be pleased to know that she made such an impact that she is mourned over and over again when the news makes the rounds again and again. What prompted this latest phenomenon of buzz?

The 2014 incidence is thought to perhaps be tied to a Golden Girls fan having tweeted out a note noting the anniversary, with many others on the social media site not picking up on the date. In this latest flurry, however, the origination is unclear though it may well be related to the anniversary of Rue’s death once again.

No matter how one looks at it, McClanahan was treasured by many and the adoration for the Golden Girls show and its stars continues to this day. Will this wave of social media posts freshly mourning the Rue McClanahan’s death pop up again each year on her anniversary? Fans will have to stay tuned to find out.

[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]