COVID takes Dawn Wells ‘Gilligan’s Island’ Mary Ann

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Dawn Wells, who played the beloved girl-next-door Mary Ann Summers on “Gilligan’s Island,” died Wednesday in Los Angeles after battling COVID-19. She was 82.

Her publicist, Harlan Boll, announced her death, according to Variety.

A Reno, Nevada, native, Wells was Miss Nevada in the 1959 Miss America pageant before she was cast in “Gilligan’s Island” in 1964. The Sherwood Schwartz-helmed sitcom ran on CBS until 1967 and included several TV movies and spinoff series.

She also wrote a 2014 memoir, “What Would Mary Ann Do?: A Guide to Life,” that riffed on her sweet and lovable character. Russell Johnson, who played the Professor on the show, captured the soul of Mary Ann in the foreword of the book.

Wells also appeared in “77 Sunset Strip,” “Maverick,” “Bonanza,” “The Joey Bishop Show” and “Hawaiian Eye.”

In 2018, Wells took a tumble and found herself inundated with medical and tax bills. A friend created a GoFundMe account for the actress, USA Today reported at the time, though she denied being “dead broke.” She ended up getting nearly $200,000 in donations, taking to Facebook to thank fans.

Dawn Wells, the real-life Mary Ann Summers of “Gilligan’s Island,” was just as sunny and down-to-earth off-screen as she was on-screen, her co-star Tina Louise, the show’s only surviving cast member, told The Post Wednesday.

Louise, who played the indelible flame-haired Ginger Grant on the CBS show, spoke fondly of Wells, who died at age 82 Wednesday in Los Angeles after battling COVID-19.

“I’m very sad,” said Louise, who infamously declined to appear in revivals and reboots or discuss the show over the decades since it ended in 1967.

“Dawn was a very wonderful person. I want people to remember her as someone who always had a smile on her face,” said Louise, who lives on Manhattan’s East Side. “Nothing is more important than family and she was family. She will always be remembered.”

The beloved show, which ran for three seasons from 1964 until 1967, and followed a shipwrecked group of stranded strangers living on an island, is as enduring as ever — especially during the lockdown, when new generations discovered its endearing charms.

“We were part of the wonderful show that everyone loves and has been a great source of comfort, especially during these times,” said Louise.

While she notoriously declined to appear in the 1978 TV movie “Rescue from Gilligan’s Island,” 2001’s “Surviving Gilligan’s Island” and various other revivals, she bristles at longtime rumors that she resented the role and show.

“Never true — I loved doing my part, especially after they really started writing for my character, originally billed as a ‘Marilyn Monroe’ type of character,” Louise told The Post. “A different director took over and really started to write for my character,” she added, admitting she originally thought about quitting. “I really loved my character.”

she was indeed too sexy a babe and a half she was, now she belongs to the ages.

mee too, ginger was full of herself [actress in real life] and not my type. mary ann was perfect girl next door.