Loretta Swit’s M*A*S*H costars are paying tribute to her following her death at age 87.
“Loretta was a supremely talented actor. She deserved all her 10 EMMY nominations and her 2 wins,” Alan Alda wrote via X on Friday, May 30. “But more than acting her part, she created it.”
Alda, now 89, starred Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce on M*A*S*H, while Swit played Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan. The pair were the only two actors to appear in both the pilot and finale of the war series, which aired for 11 seasons from 1972 to 1983. In his tribute post, Alda recalled how Swit put her all into the role.
“She worked hard in showing the writing staff how they could turn the character from a one joke sexist stereotype into a real person – with real feelings and ambitions,” he continued. “We celebrated the day the script came out listing her character not as Hot Lips, but as Margaret. Loretta made the most of her time here.”
Mike Farrell, who joined the cast in season 4 as B.J. Hunnicutt, also paid his respects to Swit.
“Loretta … 1937-2025 🖤,” Farrell, 86. wrote via Instagram alongside a black and white photo of Swit.
In addition to Alda and Farrell, the only remaining M*A*S*H cast members still alive are Jamie Farr and Gary Burghoff.
News broke on Friday that Swit passed away. Swit’s publicist told The Hollywood Reporter that Swit’s cause of death appears to be due to natural causes.
Swit’s role on M*A*S*H won her two Emmys. In 1989, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“I mean, certain things had to remain the same. She had to remain one of the antagonists because that was the structure of the show,” Swit said of her character on the beloved show. “In the second season, we saw for the first time that she was unhappy with Frank and wanted more from her life. Then around the third or fourth year, in an episode called The Nurses,’ Hot Lips gave the nurses a speech telling them how lonely she was because she was in charge and that’s the way it was, so she couldn’t really have any friends. Her marriage and her divorce changed her. Her affair with Hawkeye in ‘Comrades in Arms’ changed both characters, so that they were never really rivals again.”
Following her time on M*A*S*H, Swit appeared on multiple TV movies and game shows including Match Game, Pyramid and Hollywood Squares. Her last role on screen was in the 2019 film Play the Flute.
