Kellye Nakahara, best known for her role as Lt. Nurse Kellye on M*A*S*H, has died at 72 following a short battle with cancer, according to CNN and FOX News. The actress’ sister, Nalani Coleman, confirmed Nakahara passed away in her sleep Sunday evening in her Pasadena, CA home.
Nakahara portrayed Lt. Nurse Kellye from 1973 to 1983, appearing in 167 of M*A*S*H‘s 256 episodes. The series, which featured an ensemble cast including Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, and McLean Stevenson, depicted the lives of doctors and support staff stationed at a mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) in South Korea during the Korean war. Initially only hired as an extra for season one, Nakahara’s character developed into a speaking role over time, even earning her own centric episode in 1982 titled “Hey, Look Me Over.”
“[Nakahara] was a performer and an artist, and she did her artwork to make people happy, which in turn gave her joy,” her sister told CNN. “People wanted to be near her, she was genuine in her persona.”
Born in Oahu, Hawaii in 1948, Nakahara married husband David Wallet in 1968. The couple had two kids as well as four grandchildren. After moving to San Francisco to jumspatrt her acting career, Nakahara scored her role on M*A*S*H as the initially recurring Lt. Nurse Kellye. Her additional notable roles include The Cook in the 1985 film Clue, a labor and delivery nurse in the 1988 John Hughes film She’s Having a Baby, and a role in 1998’s Doctor Doolittle, as well as singular episode appearances in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, NYPD Blue, Growing Pains, and Little House on the Prairie. Her last role was in 2000, voicing the character of Yak in an episode of Nickelodeon’s The Wild Thornberrys.
Nakahara was additionally known for her watercolor paintings, which she exhibited using her married name, Kellye Wallett.
“During her time with cancer, she always received letters from fans and everyone who watched ‘M*A*S*H,'” a source told FOX. “She was always so shocked by all the love she received from those who loved Nurse Kellye.”