Judy Farrell passed away on April 2 after being hospitalized for a stroke. At the time, the late actress was 84 years old. According to her son, Michael, Judy had suffered a stroke nine days prior and was alert but unable to speak.
She was married to her second husband, Joe Bratcher, at the time of her death, and she leaves behind her daughter Erin and Michael.
Judy starred as Nurse Able in the famous drama “MASH,” which aired from 1972 until 1983. She co-starred with Alan Alda as Captain Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce and her first husband, Mike Farrell, as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt. Judy and Mike divorced the same year as “M*A*S*H” ended. In 1985, she married Bratcher.
Following her time on “MASH,” Judy appeared as Charlotte Miller in the television drama “Fame” and the 2006 comedy “Long-Term Relationship.” She also contributed to the 2003 television series ‘Port Charles.’
Judy and Mike Farrell divorced in 1983 after 20 years of marriage. In his memoir, “Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist,” he detailed how their marriage fell apart after he left his established business to pursue performing full-time.
The decision strained his relationship with Judy, and despite the agony, it caused their children, they chose to divorce. “The entire experience was a wrenching, deeply painful ordeal for everyone involved,” he wrote.
The two tried their hardest to co-parent, even purchasing two houses in the same neighborhood to make things easier for their children. Mike revealed that his divorce tore him apart and brought him to his lowest moment in life. He later went on with fellow performer Shelley Fabares, whereas Judy had a long marriage with Joe Bratcher.
Even though MASH ended 40 years ago, Mike and Alan Alda remain close friends. Alda tweeted a photo of him and Mike drinking wine together in 2022.
“Today, Mike Farrell and I are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the show that changed our lives — and the brilliant friends who helped make it what it was.”
“MASH was a wonderful gift to us,” he wrote on Twitter. Although the cast of MASH has yet to comment on Judy’s passing officially, they are heartbroken by the loss of a former cast member.
