Ralph Ahn with Jake Johnson on New Girl.Photo: FOX/Getty
Ralph Ahn, who played Tran onNew Girl, has died. He was 95.
Korean news outletYNAreported that Ralph had recently been admitted to the hospital due to an illness and died in Los Angeles. A cause of death has not been released.
Prior to his passing, Ahn portrayed the role of Tran onNew Girlfor seven episodes from 2011 to 2018, according tohis IMDb page.
As the friend and grandfatherly figure to Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), Tran often provided advice and an ear to listen in the park. Though Tran had limited dialogue, he quickly became a fan favorite as he helped Nick through his problems, using primarily facial expressions and body language.
“RIP. So much fun to work with,” he wrote beside two images of his costar. “He gave so much with literally no lines. I loved when he was on set. I was always expecting to somehow work with him again. Condolences to his family/friends.”
FellowNew GirlstarZooey Deschanel, who played Jessica Day, also commented on Johnson’s post and expressed her devastation. “😢 Noooooo,” she wrote.
Lamorne Morris, who played Winston Bishop, also shared a tribute onInstagram. “Damn. RIP to Ralph Ahn. He played Tran on New Girl. Always the funniest scenes in the episode. This man lived a lot of life, keep his friends and family in yall thoughts and prayers,” Morris wrote.
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Born in Los Angeles, Ralph was the son of Korean independence activist Ahn Chang-ho and served the U.S. Navy in World War II, according toNBC News.
Along withNew Girl,Ralph’s credits also include appearances inEyes of an Angel,Suddenly Susan,Gilmore Girls,The Shield,The King of Queens,ERandYounger and Younger, among others.
In 2014,New Girlcreator Elizabeth Meriwether toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat it was an “easy” decision to bring Ralph on as a recurring character, noting that Johnson was actually the person behind the idea.
“He’s really easy to write for,” Meriwether said of Ralph. “It was Jake Johnson’s idea, originally. He texted me about it… Going into this year, I think one of the writers in the retreat pitched his granddaughter being a love interest. But Jake also wanted to do something like that.”
source: people.com
