The actress who was best known for her role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on M*A*S*H has died.

Loretta Swit was 87 years old.

Her publicist said she died on May 30 at her New York City home, most likely from natural causes, The Associated Press reported.

Sally Kellerman played the role in the feature film M*A*S*H, which the show was based on. Swit’s portrayal was a more well-rounded character than Kellerman’s, going so far as to drop the “Hot Lips” nickname, the AP explained. The change was due to Swit’s urging.

“Around the second or third year I decided to try to play her as a real person, in an intelligent fashion, even if it meant hurting the jokes,” she told author Suzy Kalter.

“To oversimplify it, I took each traumatic change that happened in her life and kept it. I didn’t go into the next episode as if it were a different character in a different play. She was a character in constant flux; she never stopped developing,” Swit explained.

Swit was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress every year from 1974 to 1983, winning it twice in 1980 and 1982, Variety reported.

Swit was born Loretta Jane Szwed in New Jersey and started performing when she was only 7 years old. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she trained as a singer and was an acting student under Gene Frankel, Variety reported.

While best known for her role on M*A*S*H, she also appeared in shows such as “Diagnosis Murder” and “The Love Boat.” Her last role was in “Play the Flute,” but had been connected to “Second Chances” which is in pre-production, according to IMDB.

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