Maureen Arthur, ‘How to Succeed in Business’ star, dead at 88

Broadway icon Maureen Arthur has died. She was 88.

Arthur — who starred on screen as well as on stage as secretary Hedy La Rue in 1967’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” — died on June 15 at her home in Beverly Hills.

Her brother Gerald confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday and explained she died from natural causes, stemming from a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

“I can’t overstate how important she was to me,” her friend Ilene Graff wrote on Facebook yesterday, TheWrap reported.

Graff added, “Her amazing talent and skill were only a small part of who she was. A tireless advocate for children in need, especially those with physical, emotional and/or intellectual challenges, she helped raise countless millions of dollars for them.”

“The world is a little less sparkly without her, but I am so glad I got to be her friend. Her memory will definitely be a blessing,” she wrote.

Arthur began her turn as the sexy but dim-witted Hedy in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” when the show opened on Broadway in 1961, followed by the film version six years later.

The comedy ran for 1,400 performances and scored seven Tony Awards as well as a Pulitzer Prize.

Arthur hailed from San Jose, California and was married twice. She became a widow in 2010 when her husband, “The Andy Griffith Show” producer Aaron Ruben, died.

She later moved on to film and TV roles, appearing in projects such as “Perry Mason,” “The Monkees,” “The Flying Nun,” “Sanford and Son,” “Laverne & Shirley” and “Mork & Mindy.”

Other parts she scored included the screwball comedy “The Love God?” with Don Knotts and “How to Commit Marriage” with Bob Hope.

Arthur later came back to the Broadway stage, starring in Carl Reiner’s 1967 play “Something Different” and portrayed Miss Adelaide in the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera production of “Guys and Dolls” in 1980.