Loretta Swit, who played Maj.Margaret Houlihan on the TV series "M*A*S*H," has died, a representative for her confirmed to CBS News.
She was 87.Swit died at her home in New York City, her rep, B.Harlan Boll, said in a statement to CBS News on Friday.
She was believed to have died of natural causes.Swit starred on stage and screen, but she was perhaps best known for her long-running role as a foil to Alan Alda's Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce on "M*A*S*H," which aired for 11 seasons on CBS, from 1972 to 1983.The show was adapted from Robert Altman's Oscar-winning 1970 film, a landmark celebrated for its freewheeling humor, its satirical approach to war movies, the excess of blood in the operating room and the nudity of its nurses.The TV series, produced by Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds, was toned down for television but maintained the movie's anti-establishment ethos.The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital that was the show's setting allowed for doctors burdened by the grueling work to let off steam by playing pranks, telling jokes while performing "meatball surgery," and tussling with patients and Army ranks over such issues as racism, sexism, infidelity and the effects of PTSD among service members.This is a breaking news story.
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