Patrick Adiarte, an actor of stage and screen who had a recurring role on M*A*S*H, died of pneumonia on Tuesday (April 15) in a Los Angeles hospital, his niece Stephanie Hogan told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday (April 17).
Adiarte appeared in both the Broadway and film adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I; he played a member of the royal children’s chorus on Broadway and then portrayed Prince Chulalongkorn in the 1956 film, performing opposite Yul Brynner in both productions.
Likewise, Adiarte also appeared in both the stage Broadway production and film adaptation of Flower Drum Song.
But TV fans would best know him as Ho-Jon, an orphaned Korean boy from the first season of M*A*S*H. Adiarte’s character assisted Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda) and Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers).
After learning of the news, M*A*S*H star Loretta Swift, who played Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan for the entirety of the series, took to Instagram to mourn the loss of her co-star.
“RIP Patrick Adiarrte,” wrote Swift on an Instagram story, along with a broken-heart emoji and the hashtags #mashfamily #mashfamforever and #globalmashfamily.
On the post Swift linked to, M*A*S*H fans were quick to post their memories and prayers for his family.
“Wow. He was just a kid in the show. 81. Sometimes I forget how old this show is. May he rest well,” wrote one fan.
“Forever young in our mind’s eye. No one is 81 every time you tune in. You see Hawkeye laugh, Margaret smile, Radar look perplexed and Ho-jan need to talk to the guys. Forever young. Forever in our hearts,” wrote another fan.
A third fan added, “It’s too bad we never got to see a follow up episode,” possibly referencing the fact that the character of Ho-Jon left the Korean War base camp to attend medical school in the United States and it may have been nice to see what became of the character.
Adiarte also played a key role in the three-part Brady Bunch arc where the family went to Hawaii in 1972. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Adiarte was married from 1975 to 1992 but never had children; he is survived by several nieces and nephews.