Patti Yasutake has died at the age of 70 following a lengthy cancer battle .
The actress, who starred as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in Star Trek: The Next Generation , died surrounded by her family and close friends. She passed away peacefully on August 5, with her manager Kyle Fritz now announcing the news in a statement.
"Patti was my first client when I began over 30 years ago," he said. A memorial will be held for Patti on August 25, with her family asking for donations to the theater club East West Players in lieu of flowers.
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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," Kyle reminisced in a statement shared with Deadline .
Fans have also been sharing tributes to Patti on social media. One person wrote: "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 and she wore for the rest of the convention. My thoughts go out to her family and friends #RIPPattiYasutake."
Another said: "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," while a third fan posted: "I saw Patti Yasutake once in 1995 at a convention and she could not have been more kind and attentive to everyone who spoke with her, which is why it was such a delight spotting her when we watched BEEF last year. But I first knew her best on @StarTrek."
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Someone else added: "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 grew up in Gardena and Inglewood and graduated with honors from UCLA's theater program. She started her career at the East West Players and made her big-screen debut alongside Ron Howard in Gung Go (1986).
Two years later, Patti starred on The Wash, which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination. She then played Nurse Alyssa Ogawa on Star Trek from 1994 until 1996. Patti also had roles in Blind Spot, Road to Galveston, and Drop Dead Gorgeous and the Netflix show Beef.
Patti is survived by siblings Linda Hayashi and Steven Yasutake, as well as a large extended family of nephews and nieces.
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