American actress Patti Yasutake, who played Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in the Star Trek franchise, has died. She was 70.
The star died of cancer on August 5 in Santa Monica, USA.
Her manager, Kyle Fritz, confirmed the news with Variety sharing that “Patti was [his] first client when [he] began over 30 years ago”.
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“We enjoyed every day we got to work together, and I will miss her spirit, talent and tenacity but most of all her friendship,” he added.
Yasutake was best known for her role in the beloved sci-fi franchise but was more recently involved as a regular star on Netflix’s 2023 television drama Beef.
In the Emmy award-winning show, she played the role of Fumi Nakai – the widow of a renowned architect. In that role, she starred alongside fellow industry greats including Ali Wong, Steven Yeun and David Choe.
Yasutake’s television acting career commenced in 1985 after she appeared on the show T.J. Hooker.
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Since then, she went on to accumulate several impressive credits throughout her career.
Aside from her roles in Star Trek and Beef, Yasutake starred in the 1986 film Gung Ho, the 1988 film The Wash and the 1999 film Drop Dead Gorgeous, among others.
She also had guest starring roles in series including NCIS: Los Angeles, Bones and Grey’s Anatomy.
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In 1989, her role The Wash saw her receive an Independent Spirit Awards nomination for best supporting actress.
Her last credit before her death was a voice acting role as Akane Kishida on the video game Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Since the news of her death, fans have taken to social media to share tributes to the late star.
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Theatre director Andrew Keates took to X to share a tribute to his colleague.
“Rest in peace Patti Yasutake. I’m grateful we worked together, shared laughter & heard the great stories about your efforts for American East Asian representation and adventures in Star Trek: The Next Generation,” he wrote.
“May you continue to play in the stars.”
Yasutake is survived by siblings Linda Hayashi and Steve Yasutake.
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