'M*A*S*H' star Loretta Swit dies aged 87

Loretta Swit, a constant presence in the 11 seasons of the CBS show M*A*S*H, has died at the age of 87.

Her death was confirmed by her rep Harlan Roll, who told CBS News that the actress died in her home in New York City—likely of natural causes.

Swit's career spanned both stage and screen performances but she was most recognised for her Emmy-winning role as the head nurse in M*A*S*H, which aired from 1972 to 1983.

The two-time Emmy winner was also nominated eight other times for her work on the show. She was also nominated for four Golden Globes.

"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," Swit told Suzy Kalter, the author of The Complete Book of M.A.S.H.

"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."