Loretta Swit, best known for playing Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on “MASH,” died Friday at her home in New York City at the age of 87.
Swit’s representative, Harlan Boll, said the New York police reported her time of death at 12:01 p.m. Friday, according to Variety. It is believed the actress died of natural causes, according to the outlet.
The two-time Emmy-award winning actress also appeared as Major Houlihan on the 1975 variety special “Rickles” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” in 1983. Her talents spanned across television and the live stage.
Swit’s long list of credits include the made-for television movie “The Execution” and guest appearances on shows including “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “Diagnosis Murder,” in 1988, which was her last stint on TV, according to Variety.
She made her small screen debut in 1969 with multiple appearances on “Hawaii Five-O,” and roles in “Mission: Impossible,” “Mannix,” “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza,” “Ironside” and “Love, American Style.”
She starred in “Beer,” “Whoops Apocalypse,” “Beach Movie” and in the 1996 Chuck Norris film “Forest Warrior.”
Swit was actively involved in the entertainment industry well after the success of “MASH.”
The talented actress went on to appear in Richard Rush’s 1974 action comedy “Freebie and the Bean” and in the 1975 Peter Fonda car chase movie “Race With the Devil.”
Swit’s musical talents were front and center in an adaptation of the ” Man of Steel” musical, “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman!” in 1975, and her theatrical performances included “Any Wednesday” and “The Odd Couple.”
The star’s Broadway debut came in 1975 as a replacement in “Same Time, Next Year.” Swit also toured with “The Vagina Monologues.”
Fans, friends and loved ones have taken to social media to pay their final respects to the beloved actress.
