Who was Ralph Ahn? Zooey Deschanel leads tributes as 'Tran from New Girl' dies aged 95

Ralph Ahn recently passed away, aged 95. The actor’s death was confirmed on February 28 by James Ahn, the president of the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles.

According to Korean news outlet YNA, Ahn was admitted to the hospital due to an illness and died in Los Angeles. The cause of death has not been revealed.

Ralph had played the role of Tran on New Girl for seven episodes from 2011 to 2018. Although the character had limited dialogue, he became a fan favorite as he helped Nick with his problems, using facial expressions and body language.

Fellow actor Jake Johnson paid tribute to Ahn on Instagram, sharing two pictures with his co-star and writing:

Zooey Deschanel, who played Jessica Day on New Girl, commented and expressed her grief. Lamorne Morris also shared a tribute on Instagram, saying that Ralph had the funniest scenes in the episode.

Zooey Deschanel shares her feelings after hearing the news (Image via Jake Johnson/Instagram)

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About Ralph Ahn in brief

Born on September 28, 1926, Ralph Ahn was the son of Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, one of Korea’s most respected patriotic figures and a historical figure in America.

Ahn’s parents were among the first wave of Korean immigrants in 1902 and the first Korean couple to immigrate from Korea to the US mainland. Following his father’s death, Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan, after which the United States entered World War 2.

Jake Johnson and Ralph Ahn in the “Thanksgiving IV” episode of New Girl (Image via Fox Image Collection/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles, California, native then joined the US Navy in 1944 to fight the Japanese. He was influenced by his brother Philip Ahn and became an actor.

Ahn taught Business Math and was the Head Coach of the Varsity Football team at Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, California, from 1964 to 1968.

The Let It Ride actor gained recognition in 2012 after playing the role of Tran in the television sitcom New Girl. He then welcomed the cast members of the South Korean variety show Infinite Challenge to Los Angeles as a Korean-American community representative in January 2017.

Ralph then spoke at a ceremony in Riverside, California, honoring Pachappa Camp as the first Korean Settlement in the US in 2017.