Lisa Loring, original Wednesday Addams actress, dead at 64
By Toyin Owoseje, CNN
(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - Lisa Loring, best known as the first actress to play Wednesday Addams in the original "The Addams Family" sitcom, has died at the age of 64.
Loring's daughter, Vanessa Foumberg, confirmed in a statement to Variety that her mother died Saturday of a stroke.
"She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands," Foumberg said.
Laurie Jacobson, Loring's friend, also reported her death on Facebook, saying she had "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."
Following news of her death, fans flocked to social media to pay tribute; one person wrote on Twitter saying: "Farewell to Lisa Loring, the person who DEFINED Wednesday Addams at a time when she was just a frowning newspaper drawing."
Blueprint for future Wednesday Addams actresses
Loring was the blueprint for the pale, pigtail-wearing Wednesday after being cast in the sitcom "The Addams Family" in 1964. She took on the role when she was six years old and played the death-obsessed character until the show ended two years later.
In 1977, she appeared as Wednesday Sr. in the television film "Halloween with the New Addams Family."
Loring's deadpan delivery of the character, based on the New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams, paved the way for other actresses. This included Christina Ricci; she starred as Wednesday in the 1991 hit movie "The Addams Family" and its sequel, "Addams Family Values."
Jenna Ortega said her version of the pop-culture icon was also inspired by Loring, following the premiere of Tim Burton's Netflix comedy horror "Wednesday," last year.
"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.
Post Addams Family career
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Loring was born Lisa Ann DeCinces in the Marshall Islands. She was given her stage name when she started modeling at age 3.
Following her stint as Wednesday in "The Addams Family," Loring joined Phyllis Diller's sitcom "The Pruitts of Southampton."
She later landed a recurring role in "As the World Turns," playing Cricket Montgomery.
Her acting credits also include shows "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," "Fantasy Island" and "Barnaby Jones."
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