Gilligan's Island star Dawn Wells died on Dec. 29 in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The actress, who played Mary Ann Summers on the hit show from 1964-67, was 82.
Wells' publicist said that the actress died of causes related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
A rep for Wells did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Before and after Gilligan's Island, Wells appeared on countless television programs, including Bonanza, The Love Boat, Gilligan's Planet, Growing Pains, Baywatch, Columbo and Roseanne, among many others.
Recently, Wells' good friend Dugg Kirkpatrick launched a fundraiser in 2018 with a goal of almost $200,000 to help the actress pay off medical bills. (The fundraiser raised $205,510.)
"She did not know that I was setting it up," Kirkpatrick exclusively told PEOPLE of Wells. "She was very upset with me, probably still is a little upset with me because she's a little bit embarrassed. But being her dearest friend, I know that this is the best thing. Today she seems to be more on board with it because she's seeing all the positive things people are saying."
According to the fundraiser description, Wells had been struggling to make ends meet since the 2008 financial crisis. She allegedly suffered "an unexpected accident that required hospitalization for two months" and needed the funds to "alleviate penalties by the IRS" and cover her hospital costs.
"Dawn is so flattered that her fans have come to her rescue - shocked and amazed, actually," said Kirkpatrick. "She loves them and always has. She's proved that over the years. She's even flown people to her ranch (where she was working) in Idaho for movie screening because they couldn't afford it. She's been very generous to many people for many years."
Kirkpatrick also told TMZ at the time that Wells had no family to support her and had already lost her home.