Lorreta Swit death: M.A.S.H star dies aged 87 as tributes pour in
Loretta Swit, the Emmy-winning actress best known for her role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the classic TV series M.A.S.H, has died at the age of 87.
Her publicist, Harlan Boll, confirmed the news, sharing that Swit died at her home in New York on Friday.
While the exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed, it is believed to have been natural causes, pending a coroner’s report.
Swit rose to fame for her portrayal of the tough but complex US Army nurse in M.A.S.H, which ran for 11 seasons from 1972 to 1983.
The beloved series followed a mobile Army surgical hospital during the Korean War and remains one of the most successful shows in American television history.
The series finale, which aired in 1983, attracted a staggering 106 million viewers, making it the most-watched TV episode in history at the time.
Swit appeared in nearly every episode of M.A.S.H, earning widespread acclaim for her performance and winning two Emmy Awards.
She was also nominated for four Golden Globes over the course of her career.
Her character, “Hot Lips,” was known for her sharp, no-nonsense attitude, but also showed vulnerability, particularly in the storyline involving an affair with Major Frank Burns, played by Larry Linville.
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Reflecting on her approach to the character, Swit once told an author: “Around the second or third year, I decided to try to play her as a real person, in an intelligent fashion, even if it meant hurting the jokes. … She was a character in constant flux; she never stopped developing.”
M.A.S.H was celebrated for blending comedy and pranks with serious commentary on issues such as racism, sexism, and the impact of PTSD, airing at a time when the US was grappling with the fallout of the Vietnam War.
The series was based on the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by former Army surgeon Richard Hooker.
Born Loretta Szwed in New Jersey, Swit trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City before launching her career.
Beyond M.A.S.H, she appeared in numerous TV shows, films, and even game shows.
Her stage credits include Broadway productions like Same Time, Next Year, Mame, and Shirley Valentine, for which she won the prestigious Sarah Siddons Award in Chicago.
Swit also made memorable appearances on The Muppet Show, Mission: Impossible, and Murder, She Wrote.
Speaking in a 2010 interview with Star magazine, Swit reflected on her craft: “Acting is not hiding to me, it’s revealing. We give you license to feel. That’s the most important thing in the world, because when you stop feeling, that’s when you’re dead.”
Outside of her acting work, Swit was a passionate animal rights advocate, creating a charity to combat animal cruelty, her publicist shared.
Her M.A.S.H co-star Jamie Farr, who played Corporal Klinger, paid tribute to Swit in a heartfelt statement.
He said: “From the first time I met her, on what was supposed to be a one-day appearance on M.A.S.H, we embraced each other and that became a lifetime friendship. I can’t begin to express how much she will be missed.”