Loretta Swit, Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on 'M*A*S*H,' Dies at 87
Source: Hollywood Reporter
May 30, 2025 11:56am
Loretta Swit, the actress and animal activist forever known for her pioneering turn as the disciplined Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the acclaimed CBS sitcom M*A*S*H, has died. She was 87.
According to a police report, Swit died just after midnight Friday of suspected natural causes at her home in New York City, her publicist, Harlan Boll, announced.
Swit won two Emmys for her portrayal of the Army nurse — she was nominated 10 times, every year the show was on the air except the first — and appeared on 240 of the series’ 251 episodes during its sensational 11-season run. Adapting the character from Sally Kellerman‘s film portrayal of the lusty powerhouse, Swit was one of only two actors (along with Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce) to have a role in both the pilot and series finale of M*A*S*H.
That finale, which aired Feb. 28, 1983, attracted a record of nearly 106 million viewers, and a 35-second kiss between Swit and Alda during that episode has been called the most expensive in television history, based on its length and the ad revenue per minute.
Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/loretta-swit-dead-mash-hot-lips-houlihan-1236233958/
And a "Major" on the show! I remember watching that finale.
R.I.P.
= new reply since forum marked as read
RIP. 
11 years that show ran. my young adult hood .
and told me that Alan was the nicest man in the world. Alan who was vey famous @ the
Every Sunday when the show aired.............we would party right along..........
Margaret to Frank: You can remove your hand.....or lose it.
my kind of gal
The latter is suffering quite a bit from advanced Parkinsons.
Loretta, you made a fantastic "Major Houlihan" as well as a "Hot Lips" deva! I will always remember you fondly.
