Eileen Saki, best known for playing Rosie, who owned Rosie’s Bar, frequented by the members of the 4077th unit on the classic sitcom “M*A*S*H,” has died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 79, her rep has confirmed to TODAY.
"Eileeen Saki passed away peacefully in Los Angeles ... May 1," the statement from spokesperson Camilla Pines read. "She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January. She was a lung cancer survivor in 2004. She got a second chance at auditioning and working in the industry that she loved so much — she shot a couple big commercials shortly before her diagnosis. She was often recognized by face or even just voice by people who knew they knew her 'from somewhere' — and loved talking to young actors about the journey."
Saki played the snarky, no-nonsense Rosie in eight episodes of the show, according to IMDB, replacing another actor who played the part. Saki also made another appearance on the show as a different character in the fifth season premiere.
Saki, who is survived by her husband, Bob, said Rosie was a treat to play.
The character “was written so well. … I didn’t have to really work on it,” she said on the "M*A*S*H Matters" podcast in February 2022. “I just remember going to a Korean laundromat where the head lady was so (serious), and I just based my character on the way that Rosie was written.”
Saki also had guest roles on “Good Times,” “CHiPs,” “The Greatest American Hero,” “Gimme a Break” and “Without a Trace.” In addition, she starred in movies “Splash” and “History of the World: Part I.”
Saki grew up in Japan and had her sights set on becoming a performer by the time she turned 4, per The Hollywood Reporter. "We were very poor, and probably my psyche wanted me to be somebody else, to have a brighter and entertaining life,” she said on “M*A*S*H Matters.”
Saki is the latest well-known person to die of pancreatic cancer. Jerry Springer died April 27 at the age of 79.
Pancreatic cancer is fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute, with over 50,000 people dying annually from it. It also has one of the lowest five-year survival rates of cancers in the U.S., at 5% to 10%, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
More than 64,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.