With television being such an important gadget in all of our lives, we thought it appropriate to salute Beatrice Arthur. The larger-than-life actress scored on Broadway as the original matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof and the hard-drinking actress in Mame before she went onto star in the groundbreaking television series Maude, followed by the beloved sitcom the Golden Girls. Arthur died early Saturday morning at the age of 86 at her Los Angeles home with her family by her side. Dan Watt, a spokesman for Arthur’s family, told the Associated Press that the star had been suffering with cancer, though he did not specify what kind. She died peacefully, Watt notes, who remembered Arthur as “a brilliant and witty woman.” Maude, which debuted on CBS in 1972 (and ran until 1978) was a spin-off of the hit All in the Family. As the liberal cousin of Archie Bunker’s wife Edith. The much-married Maude wasn’t afraid to broach such controversial (especially for TV at the time) topics as abortion and civil rights. Read more about Arthur’s life, death and career, visit the LA Times orPeople online. Do you have memories of watching beloved actress Bea Arthur? We invite you to share your comments and memories below.