Gilligan’s Island star Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann, dies of Covid

Dawn Wells, who played the healthy Mary Ann among a misfit gang of castaways in the 1960s sitcom Gilligan’s Island, died Wednesday of Covid-19-related causes, her publicist said.

The television star was 82 years old.

Wells died peacefully at a residential facility in Los Angeles, publicist Harlan Boll said.

“There is much more to Dawn Wells” than the “Gilligan’s Island” character that made her famous, Boll said in a statement.

In addition to acting credits on television, film and theater, her other real-life roles included a teacher and motivational speaker, Boll said.

Born in Reno, Nevada, Wells represented her state at the 1959 Miss America pageant and quickly turned to an acting career. Her first television roles appeared on shows like 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, and Bonanza.

Then came Gilligan’s Island, a silly and personable show that became an unlikely but indelible part of popular culture.

Wells played Mary Ann during the three seasons of Gilligan’s Island from 1964 to 1967. The iconic CBS sitcom centers on an eclectic group stranded on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean after the rental ship SS Minnow was wrecked in a typhoon during a three hour tour.

With the death of Wells, 86-year-old Tina Louise, who played Ginger, is the last surviving cast member of the show.