Patti Yasutake – who starred in Emmy Award-winning limited series Beef – has died at 70. The veteran actress died peacefully while surrounded by friends and family on August 5 after a long battle with cancer
She portrayed fan favourite character Nurse Alyssa Ogawa on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Her longtime manager and friend Kyle Fritz confirmed the news to Deadline on Tuesday.
“Patti was my first client when I began over 30 years ago,” he wrote.
“We enjoyed every day we got to work together, and I will miss her spirit talent and tenacity but most of all her friendship.”
Tributes poured in online for the beloved actress on X as one user penned: “Saddened to hear #PattiYasutake (Nurse Ogawa from ST:TNG) has died. I met her at Starbase 96 in Leeds. She liked my black trilby I was wearing so I gave it to her as present & she wore for the rest of the convention. My thoughts go out to her family & friends #RIPPattiYasutake.”
Another wrote: “RIP Patti Yasutake. I very much enjoyed her portrayal of the character Alyssa Ogawa and would’ve loved to seen her as an ongoing series regular or featured player in a major film.”
A third wrote: “And it wouldn’t have been possible without the strength and love Patti Yasutake had instilled in Alyssa before that point. What a legend.”
Patti was born and raised in Gardena and Inglewood, California, and graduated with honours in theatre from UCLA.
She began her career at the East West Players and made her debut movie role as Umeki alongside Ron Howard in Gung Go (1986).
She starred in The Wash two years later, earning her an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
From 1994 to 1996 starred as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in many Star Trek adaptations.
Other films Patti starred in include Blind Spot, Road to Galveston, and Drop Dead Gorgeous.
More recently she appeared in the hit Netflix series Beef.