‘M*A*S*H’ Star Loretta ‘Hot Lips’ Swit Dies at Age 87 in New York City

Actress Loretta Swit, widely recognized for her portrayal of Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the long-running CBS television series M*A*S*H, has died. She was 87 years old.

Her death was confirmed by her publicist, Harlan Boll, to the Hollywood Reporter.

Swit passed away at her home in New York City shortly after midnight on Friday, May 30.

RIP M*A*S*H legend Hot Lips Houlihan – Loretta Swit. She was 87 pic.twitter.com/2OABCuv4fP

— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) May 30, 2025

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The cause of death is believed to be natural causes.

Swit was born on November 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey.

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She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York before relocating to Los Angeles in 1970 to pursue her acting career.

Early in her television career, she secured guest roles on well-known series including Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, and Cade’s County.

It was her 1971 role in Cade’s County that Swit credited with leading to her casting in M*A*S*H.

“I had done a guest-starring role on Glenn Ford’s CBS series, Cade’s County, which was short-lived, but it was a wonderful role,” she recalled in a 2004 interview.

“The network people, as well as Fox, knew about me, and when the part came up, they thought of me.”

Swit joined M*A*S*H from the series’ debut in September 1972 through its final episode in February 1983.

She appeared in 240 of the show’s 251 episodes—second only to Alan Alda, who played Hawkeye Pierce and appeared in all episodes.

Swit won two Emmy Awards for her performance.

I don’t know if there is a more appropriate goodbye to Loretta Swit, than her last scene in MASH in the series finale.

Loretta won two Emmy’s for her role as Major Houlihan. pic.twitter.com/4LXmZZFH5N

— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) May 31, 2025

M*A*S*H, set during the Korean War, followed a group of Army doctors and nurses stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital from 1950 to 1953.

The show also starred Alda, Jamie Farr (Maxwell Q. Klinger), Wayne Rogers (Trapper John McIntyre), and Harry Morgan (Sherman T. Potter).

The television series was adapted from the 1970 feature film of the same name.

Swit once described her character, Major Houlihan, as “unique” and praised the way the series allowed her role to grow over time.

“She was unique at the time and in her time, which was the ’50s, when the Korean War was happening,” Swit said.

“And she became even more unique, I think, because we allowed her to continue to grow — we watched her evolve.”

“She was the head nurse, and her ambition was to be the best damn nurse in Korea, and I tried to help her achieve that,” Swit continued.

“That woman was so lonely, and she was trying to do such a good job. And nobody appreciated her.”

In 1981, Swit appeared in the pilot episode of the police drama Cagney & Lacey, co-starring with Tyne Daly.

However, she was unable to continue with the show when CBS picked it up for a full season, due to contractual obligations to M*A*S*H.

Reflecting on the legacy of M*A*S*H, Swit recalled a message she once received from a viewer.

“It said, ‘Dear M*A*S*H folk: You made me laugh. You made me cry. You made me feel. Thank you.’ I’ve never forgotten that,” she said.

“That’s one hell of a legacy.”

Sally Kellerman, who portrayed the same character—Major Houlihan—in the original 1970 film version of M*A*S*H, passed away in 2022 at age 84.

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