Lisa Loring, the first actress to play Wednesday Addams in the original The Addams Family, has died at 64 years old. Her longtime agent, Chris Carbaugh, confirmed the news in a statement provided to CNN on Monday.
“She brought to life one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood history that is still celebrated today,” Carbaugh said. “Lisa loved sharing her memories and meeting all her fans across the world.”
Laurie Jacobson, a close friend of Loring’s, also confirmed the news on Facebook. She explained that Loring “suffered a massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure.”
“She had been on life support for 3 days. Yesterday, her family made the difficult decision to remove it and she passed last night,” Jacobson wrote. “She is embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture and in our hearts always as Wednesday Addams.”
Jenna Ortega recently discussed how Loring’s portrayal of the character inspired her take on Wednesday for the Netflix comedy horror, Wednesday.
“I paid homage to Lisa Loring, the first Wednesday Addams. I did a little bit of her shuffle that she does,” Ortega said during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in December.
Loring was just six years old when she took on the role of Wednesday Addams. The iconic sitcom, inspired by the fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams, ran for two seasons from 1964–1966. It’s since been adapted countless more times in film, video games, comic books, and more.
Loring also appeared as Wednesday Sr. in the 1977 television film Halloween with the New Addams Family.
[Via]