‘Golden Girls’ Star Rue McClanahan Suffered 2 Different Kinds of Strokes Before Her Death

Almost nine years after she passed away, more details about Rue McClanahan‘s death are being revealed. On Sunday, February 17, Reelz aired the docuseries Autopsy: Rue McClanahan, and in it, forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter shared new information he learned about the Golden Girls star’s June 2010 passing. “Rue had already suffered from a stroke seven months before her death, but her doctors had put her on Warfarin — a strong anti-coagulant medication to prevent another stroke,” Dr. Hunter said. “So why did she have a second fatal stroke?”

While looking over her medical records, Dr. Hunter learned that Rue was a smoker, which increased her likelihood of suffering a stroke. “I believe I now have the answer,” the doctor said. “Rue had two different kinds of strokes. Her first stroke was an ischemic stroke, caused by a blood clot. This type of stroke accounts for 87 percent of strokes in the United States. So, it’s by far the most common kind.” He continued, “Rue was at high risk for this kind of stroke because she was female, over the age of 60, post-surgery and I’ve also discovered she was a smoker. This in itself would have made her six times more likely to have a stroke.”