BREAKING NEWS'M*A*S*H' Star Loretta Swit Dead at 87
Actress Loretta Swit has died at 87 years old.
May 30 2025, Published 4:33 p.m. ET
Loretta Swit, who played Maj. Margaret Houlihan on the TV series M*A*S*H, has died, a representative for her confirmed to a news outlet. She was 87 years.
According to her rep, B. Harlan Boll, she died in her home in New York City on Friday, May 30. She died due to natural causes.
Inside Her Career
The star died on May 30.
The star appeared on M*A*S*H from 1972 to 1983. She earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, four Golden Globe nominations and a TV Land Impact Award.
While speaking to a news outlet in 1979, she said she "always wanted to be an actress."
"Luckily, my mother loved movies and we would go to double features and sit through both films twice," she shared.
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The star previously said she had no 'interest' in getting married.
She also said she had no "interest" in getting married at the time. "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," she said.
"I love my work and I love my friends. I can’t imagine having a happier life,” she added.
However, she married Dennis Holahan, who she met when he appeared on M*A*S*H. They divorced in 1995.
An Animal Lover
The star was an animal lover.
Prior to her death, Swit was a painter and a vocal animal rights activist.
“I’ve never met an animal I didn’t love…not ever. Owls are special. Comical, curious, aloof, intelligent raptors. I wanted to try and capture that in this ‘up close and personal’ look at Ollie. I use the old expression of ‘give a hoot’ when I ask people to care about our environment and the animals within. Give a hoot about what happens to our wildlife, our forests, to our whales and sharks, to our oceans. Please, give a hoot. Please care," she said in her book Switheart: The Watercolour Artistry & Animal Activism of Loretta Swit, which came out in 2017.
In an interview from 2024, she said she loved dabbling in various things.
“I love being busy and involved in a variety of different things all connected to the arts, because my passion for them dates back to when I won my first prize for my artwork at six years old… so why stop now?” she said to a news outlet.
