Bea Arthur, the star of television shows The Golden Girls and Maude, has died at the age of 86.

The tall deep-voiced actor won a Tony Award opposite Angela Lansbury in the musical Mame and Emmy Awards for The Golden Girls and Maude.

A family spokesperson says she died peacefully at her home in Los Angeles.

Arthur's razor-sharp delivery helped make the TV comedies hits and turned the veteran stage and film actor into a popular TV star.

Born Beatrice Frankel in New York on May 13, 1922, Arthur began performing in college and appeared in a number of Broadway and off-Broadway roles.

In the early 1970s, Arthur appeared in the landmark comedy series All in the Family as Edith Bunker's fiercely liberal cousin Maude, and producers who saw gold in the role quickly devised a spinoff for the character.

Maude debuted on CBS in 1972 and became one of the top-rated sitcoms on US television during its six-season run.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/26/2552731.htm