Loretta Swit, beloved Emmy-winning star of M*A*S*H, dies at 87

Beloved Emmy-winner Loretta Swit, best known for her iconic role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on MASH*, passed away on May 30, 2025, at her home in New York City at age 87. Harlan Boll, her longtime publicist, confirmed today that she passed away of natural causes. Everyone in the entertainment world seems to be in shock at the news, and compassionate messages are being shared globally.

Loretta Swit was known for her commanding presence on screen and was adept at playing serious as well as comic roles with consummate ease. Swit accumulated many honors during her career, which included Emmy and TV Land Impact awards.

Loretta Swit's journey towards becoming a household name

Unlike others, Loretta always knew what she wanted to do in her life from an early age and set out to achieve her dreams, entering the show business at the tender age of seven. In a cover story with PEOPLE back in 1979, the actress spoke of her passion and zeal for becoming an actress:

"(I) always wanted to be an actress. There was never a Plan B. Maybe that’s why it worked out—I didn’t give myself an escape hatch.kLuckily, my mother loved movies and we would go to double features and sit through both films twice."

She then went on to add:

"I’m not interested in being married. I have a career and friends and things I care about doing. I don’t want a lot of other demands. And, thanks to Alan [Alda], who has deep insight about women, I don’t feel guilty anymore about not wanting a family. My parents and friends are my family"

Swit did not achieve her MASH* fame right away. She spent many years working in theater and played minor parts in programs such as Hawaii Five-O, Gunsmoke, Mannix, and Mission: Impossible before getting her breakout role. In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, co-star Alan Alda reflected on his experience of watching the Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan character from the sidelines and the character's evolution through the years:

"One of the things I liked, with Loretta’s prodding, was every time I had a chance to write for her character, we’d get away from the Hot Lips angle and find out more about who Margaret was. She became more of a real person"

For eleven years, Loretta Swit made the character of Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan stand out for its detail and complexity, appearing in almost every episode of the show's 11-season run. Margaret appeared in nearly every episode, which means she was almost always around for the squad at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. While MASH* helped define her acting career, she appeared in a large number of films and TV shows for many years.

Many people knew that Loretta Swit was very caring about animals, and up until her recent death, she was an active advocate for animal rights, occasionally making public appearances. She passed away peacefully at around noon, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to influence television for generations to come.

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