The 2011 Year-End Special issue of Entertainment Weekly included a lengthy section on “The Late Greats,” in which actors, musicians, directors and others who died during 2011 were remembered by those closest to them. One of the celebrities commemorated was Harry Morgan, by Loretta Swit. If you don’t have a copy of the actual magazine, a slideshow is available at EW.com. Here’s what Swit had to say about Morgan, who passed away on December 7th:

Harry…my very dear, close friend…the best colleague you could hope for…an accomplished, committed actor, humble to the extreme, possessed of a brilliant mind, a dazzling sense of humor coupled with impeccable timing… the quintessential colleague, able to lift your spirits with laughter during those long, late hours on the set…often my ­father figure…ever a mensch… always my ”comrade-in-arms.”…

How blessed I am to have had you in my life all this time.

And now, I find myself using the words from the ”Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” finale of M*A*S*H. Harry and I needed more than just a few takes during our goodbye scene. We could not stop the tears. ”Goodbye, Margaret,” Colonel Potter says. ”Don’t forget to have a happy life.” Margaret says: ”You dear, sweet man…I’ll never forget you.”

Even more so from me, dear Harry, dear friend. I take comfort in knowing that you knew how very much I loved you.

When M*A*S*H came to an end after eleven seasons, Harry Morgan was one of three cast members to make the transition to AfterMASH (the others were William Christopher and Jamie Farr). The spin-off, which followed Potter, Mulcahy and Klinger as they returned to civilian life after the end of the Korean War, was cancelled less than halfway through its second season. The final episode (which was not a true series finale but simply the final episode produced) was never aired. The second-to-last episode was broadcast in May of 1984 after a five-month hiatus but unfortunately I do not have access to a copy. So, here is the final scene from the third-to-last episode of AfterMASH (“Ward is Hell,” originally aired December 4th, 1984):

I apologize for the poor quality. For the record, in the episode, Doctor Boyer (played by David Ackroyd) develops a staph infection in his leg and is admitted to the hospital. He winds up in his own ward, under the supervision of a young intern, Doctor Caldwell (played by Tom Isbell), who is overeager to say the least. In the final scene, Potter gives Doctor Caldwell the good news that Boyer’s infection has cleared up, only to discover that Boyer has disappeared. If you’re not familiar with AfterMASH, you can read all about it here.

Ken Levine has posted a short statement from Gary Burghoff in which he remembers the late Harry Morgan. Here’s a brief excerpt:

You had to know Harry to appreciate his abundant humor, warmth, kindness, modesty and his special kind of quiet strength. There was not an insecure bone in him. He was a “straight shooter” but also non-judgmental, understanding and tolerant.

Read the entire statement at Ken’s blog. Mike Farrell released a statement to the press yesterday and comments from Jamie Farr were included in an NPR story published on Wednesday.

Mike Farrell, who like Harry Morgan joined the cast of M*A*S*H at the start of its fourth season, has released a statement remembering his friend and co-star:

Harry was a wonderful man, a fabulous actor and a dear and close friend since the first day we worked together. As Alan said, “He did not have an unadorable bone in his body.”

He was a treasure as a person, an imp at times, and always a true professional. He had worked with the greats and never saw himself as one of them. But he was. He was the rock everyone depended on and yet he could cut up like a kid when the situation warranted it.

He was the apotheosis, the finest example of what people call a ‘character actor.’ What he brought to the work made everyone better. He made those who are thought of as ‘stars’ shine even more brightly.

The love and admiration we all felt for him were returned tenfold in many, many ways. And the greatest and most selfless tribute to the experience we enjoyed was paid by Harry at the press conference when our show ended. He remarked that someone had asked him if working on M*A*S*H had made him a better actor. He responded by saying, “I don’t know about that, but it made me a better human being.”

It’s hard to imagine a better one.

I’ve tried to find the original source for the statement. RumorFix calls it an “exclusive” while the Washington Post’s Celebritology blog says it was “released to the press.”

NPR is reporting that Farrell was, according to Jamie Farr, “a huge presence in Morgan’s last days,” helping to keep members of the cast updated.

Harry Morgan, who portrayed Colonel Sherman Potter for eight seasons on M*A*S*H and an additional two on AfterMASH, passed away this morning at the age of 96. Although M*A*S*H defined his career, Morgan spent five decades acting, starting with bit parts in films in the early 1940s before transitioning to television in the mid-1950s. He co-starred in December Bride from 1954-1959; from 1960-1962 he starred in a spin-off of that series, Pete and Gladys. He had a recurring role on Kentucky Jones from 1964-1965. Then, from 1967-1970 he appeared opposite Jack Webb in a revival of Webb’s police drama, Dragnet.

Harry Morgan (1915-2011)

Morgan followed up Dragnet with a recurring role in Hec Ramsey from 1972-1974. Then, on September 10th, 1974, he made a memorable guest appearance on the third season premiere of M*A*S*H. When McLean Stevenson (Colonel Blake) left the series at the end of that season, Morgan was brought in to replace him the following year as commanding officer of the 4077th. Morgan’s Colonel Potter was a very different CO, stricter in many ways than Blake, but fit in well with the other characters. For his role on M*A*S*H, Morgan was nominated for ten Emmy Awards (nine for acting and one for directing) and won once in 1980 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series. He also was nominated for a DGA Award in 1982.

Scriptwriter Ken Levine has posted a few memories of working with Harry Morgan. MSNBC.com has a list of seven great Colonel Potter moments. TV Land has put together the following brief video and has announced it will be airing special episodes of M*A*S*H to honor Harry Morgan this weekend:

In 2004, Morgan was interviewed for three-and-a-half hours for the Archive of American Television. Here’s an excerpt in which he discusses his famous role of Colonel Potter:

Here’s Alan Alda talking about Harry Morgan, from his own Archive of American Television interview:

Obituaries can be found at The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NPR.com and Variety.com.