The Tragic Death Of New Girl Star Ralph Ahn

It's a rough time for Hollywood, as another of its character actors has died. Shortly following the tragic deaths of Sally Kellerman and Ned Eisenberg, who both starred in the comedy film "Moving Violations," there's also news of the death of a fan-favorite from the sitcom "New Girl." Actor Ralph Ahn died on February 26 at 95 years old, the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles announced, according to Variety. He played Tran, the mostly silent friend and mentor to Jake Johnson's Nick Miller on the show.

The Los Angeles-born actor was the son of Korean American activist Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, and followed in the footsteps of his brother Philip Ahn, a character actor with some 185 credits, including the 1970s show "Kung Fu." Ralph appeared in many television series, including both "The Golden Girls" and "Gilmore Girls," as well as "The Shield," "The King of Queens," "Suddenly Susan," and "ER." "New Girl" co-showrunner Elizabeth Meriwether credits Johnson for the idea of writing Ahn into the show. "[Johnson] texted me about it. We all thought it was so funny," Meriwether told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014. "[Ahn]'s really easy to write for." Showrunner Brett Baer agreed. "Johnson is so funny with that guy. And they get along so well off camera."

Now that "New Girl" has become the go-to comfort watch during these weird pandemic times — and some fans feel the show even predicted the pandemic — new fans are discovering the wonder that is Tran's Ralph Ahn.

Though Ralph Ahn appeared in only seven of its 146 episodes, his character, Tran, helped Jake Johnson's Nick Miller throughout all seven years of "New Girl." "So much fun to work with," Johnson said on Instagram. "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." Fans couldn't help but agree, as one commented on the post, "the scenes with you and him together were some of my favorite from the show." Zooey Deschanel replied to Johnson's post with a crying emoji and the word "Noooooo."

Fans shared gifs and photos from the show on Twitter as they expressed their sorrow and appreciation. "RIP Ralph Ahn. The Tran and Nick interactions were a guaranteed laugh every single time and fittingly always put a smile on my face," tweeted one Entertainment Weekly writer. A New York Post contributor tweeted, "He led a fascinating life besides that role, but the friendship he has with Jake Johnson's Nick is one of my favorite things I've seen on TV over the last decade." "Ralph Ahn was an wonderful actor he made many people smile," one fan said, while another tweeted, "RIP to Ralph Ahn, a man who could get me to laugh faster than any other working comic (no offense, all working comics)." Another has had enough of all the celebrity deaths: "Ralph Ahn (Tran) passed away so if 2022 could chill now I'd appreciate it." Agreed.