Jamie Farr collapsed Sunday during a play rehearsal at a Hamilton, Ont., theater.

A spokesman for Theatre Aquarius told the Hamilton Spectator that the Toledo native was to undergo surgery for a blocked artery. Farr, 81, opted to return to his California home to have the procedure performed by his own cardiac surgeon.

Farr was cast as the lead role in Marcia Kash and Douglas Hughes comedy Jack of Diamonds. The show will open today at Theatre Aquarius with Farr's understudy, Ian Clark, in the role.

“It’s so disappointing,” Farr said in a news release. “This is such a great cast and I love this theatre and this audience. I hope everybody will understand that I need to be with my family….”

Farr is best known for his role as Corp. Maxwell Klinger in the long-running television series M*A*S*H.

First Published October 28, 2015, 4:00 a.m.