Wayne Rogers, Trapper John on M*A*S*H, dies at 82

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wayne Rogers, whose Trapper John McIntyre alongside Alan Alda's Hawkeye Pierce brought mischief, martinis and meatball surgery to the masses in the 1970s every week on "M*ASH," has died.

The actor was surrounded by family when he died Thursday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia at age 82, his publicist and longtime friend Rona Menashe told The Associated Press.

Rogers' army surgeon Trapper John was one of the most beloved characters – and half of one of the most beloved duos – in TV history, despite the actor's appearing in only the first three of the show's 11 seasons on CBS.

"I loved Wayne. He was smart and funny and curious and dedicated," Alda said Friday. "On the day we met we promised each other to give M*ASH everything we had, and that promise bonded us. We were close friends and I'll miss him very much."

The two skilled doctors, Hawkeye and Trapper, blew off steam between surgeries pulling pranks, romancing nurses and tormenting their tent-mate Frank Burns, with a seemingly endless supply of booze and one-liners at the ready.

In one classic moment, Trapper reaches out as though he's checking for rain and says, "Hmm, feels like it's going to martini," as Hawkeye promptly passes him a drink.

And in another line that typified the show's ethos, Trapper answers a question with "How should I know? I dropped out of school to become a doctor."