‘M*A*S*H’ Actor Dies at 82: Patrick Adiarte’s Family Confirms His Cause of Death

Veteran actor Patrick Adiarte, best known for his role as Ho-Jon in the 1970s comedy M*A*S*H, has died.

Adiarte’s niece, Stephanie Hogan, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the beloved actor passed away in a Los Angeles-area hospital Tuesday of pneumonia. He was 82.

Born in Manila on August 2, 1943, Adiarte was imprisoned along with his sister Irene and their mother Purita by the Japanese in 1945 during the Second World War. His father, who was working as a captain for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was killed that same year. A year later, Adiarte and his family emigrated to New York, where his career in the entertainment industry began.

The Philippines-born actor and dancer played a member of the royal children’s chorus in the 1952 Broadway production of The King and I. Years later, he starred as Prince Chulalongkorn in the 1956 film adaptation, starring opposite Yul Brynner in both productions. Adiarte also appeared in both the stage Broadway production and film adaptation of Flower Drum Song.

Rodgers and Hammerstein, the creative minds behind The King and I and Flower Drum Song, paid tribute to the late star on Facebook, writing, “We’re so saddened to hear the news of Patrick Adiarte’s passing. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.”

Adiarte eventually transitioned his career to the screen, and is perhaps best remembered for his starring role as Ho-Jon in M*A*S*H. Adiarte’s character, an orphaned Korean boy who assisted Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda) and Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers), appeared throughout seven seasons of the hit CBS show’s debut season between 1972 and 1973.

Paying tribute to Adiarte following his passing, his former M*A*S*H co-star Loretta Swit, who played Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan throughout the series, shared a photo of the actor to her Instagram Stories, writing, “RIP Patrick Adiarrte.” She added the hashtags “#mashfamily” “#mashfamforever,” and “#globalmashfamily.”

Adiarte’s other TV credits include Bonanza, Hullabaloo, It Takes a Thief, The Brady Bunch, Hawaii Five-O, and Kojak, per his IMDb profile. His film resume includes Blake Edwards’ High Time (1960) and the Cold War comedy John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965).

Adiarte is survived by his niece Stephanie and nephew Michael. Confirming his passing on social media, Stephanie’s husband remembered Adiarte as “an entertainment and Hollywood legend From Broadway, to movies, television, choreography, photography, you name it, he could do it. You may not know the name, but I will guarantee you would know him if you are a fan of old musicals and classic TV… Definitely a legend. RIP, Uncle Patrick!”