R.I.P. Ralph Ahn, Tran from New Girl
The actor, known for playing Nick Miller's elderly friend in New Girl, died at 95 years old
Ralph Ahn, who played Nick Miller’s elderly friend Tran in New Girl, died on February 26. He was 95 years old. The news of his death was announced by The Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA) on social media.
The post, originally written in Korean, reads:
First of all, I am deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of the late teacher Ralph Ahn.
Ralph Ahn is the only surviving direct descendant of the nation’s teacher, Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, and he dedicated his life to passing on the spirit and belief of Dosan to his descendants.
He was also the greatest spiritual leader of our time, who lived through the times and history that passed down the aspirations of many independence activists over the past generation to our present generation.
Even now, the moving image of Korea marching with Lee Seok Hwang in the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Movement held on Wilshire Street in 2019, wielding the Taegeukgi vigorously, is as vivid as yesterday, with an emotion that our generation will never forget.The Korean Association of Los Angeles, on behalf of the Korean community in Los Angeles, deeply grieves over the news of Ralph Ahn’s passing, and offers deep condolences to the bereaved family.
Jake Johnson paid tribute to his late New Girl castmate with an Instagram post on February 28, writing, “RIP. So much fun to work with. 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.”
Lamorne Morris, who played Winston in New Girl, also took to Instagram to pay tribute to Ahn, writing, “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 y’all thoughts and prayers.”
Olivia Munn, who played Angie, one of Nick’s girlfriends on the show, wrote in an Instagram story, “Thank you Ralph Ahn for being the best. You brought so much joy to our lives and helped pave the way for all of the AAPI actors that would follow you. We love you. RIP.”
While Tran became his most recognizable character, Ahn had small roles in various other hit TV shows, including Gilmore Girls, The King Of Queens, The Golden Girls, and The Good Life. His last time onscreen was for the New Girl series finale in 2018.