Loretta Swit, star of “M*A*S*H," dies at 87

Loretta Swit, the Emmy-winning actress most well-known for her leading role on "M*A*S*H," has died, her representatives said Friday. She was 87.

According to a police report, the cause of death was first considered to be natural causes. A coroner's investigation was pending.

Swit portrayed the quick-witted Maj. Margaret Houlihan on one of TV's most honored series, and collected a number of awards for her "M*A*S*H" role, including two Emmys. She was nominated for ten Emmys and four Golden Globes.

Her sensuous, sensitive, comedic character was often called "Hot Lips" on the show.

The TV series, which aired from September 1972 to February 1983, followed the staff of an Army hospital during the Korean War. Swit featured in every season of "M*A*S*H."

Swit received several awards over her career, including the People's Choice Award, Genie Award, Silver Satellite Award, Jean Golden Halo Award, Pacific Broadcasters Award, and two Emmys. With 10 Emmy nominations and four nominations for the Golden Globe, she most recently has received her third Career Achievement Award.

She teamed with some of the most memorable names in the world of entertainment, and made her Broadway debut in "Same Time, Next Year" opposite Ted Bessell and toured with two illustrious "Mames," Susan Hayward and Celeste Holm, playing the title role of Mame herself years later in New York and Pennsylvania. She has appeared in over 1,200 performances of Shirley Valentine - a role for which she won Chicago's most prestigious theatrical honor, the Sarah Siddons Award.