CNN
—
Lisa Loring, best known as the first actress to play Wednesday Addams on the original sitcom “The Addams Family,” has died at the age of 64.
Loring “passed away Saturday surrounded by her family,” longtime agent Chris Carbaugh told CNN in a statement 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 the fans around the world.”
The former child star was a mother and grandmother, her agent added, saying: “She will be greatly missed.”
Laurie Jacobson, a friend of Loring’s, also reported her death on Facebook, saying she had “suffered a massive stroke caused by smoking and high blood pressure.”
“She was on life support for 3 days. Yesterday her family made the difficult decision to remove her and she passed away last night,” Jacobson wrote. “She’s embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture, and in our hearts forever as Wednesday Addams.”
Following news of her death, fans flocked to social media to pay their respects, with one person writing on Twitter: “Goodbye Lisa Loring, the person who DEFINED Wednesday Addams back when she was just a frowning newspaper cartoon.”
Loring was the blueprint for a pale, leotard-clad Wednesday after she was cast in the 1964 sitcom “The Addams Family.” She took on the role when she was six years old and played the death-obsessed character until the end of the series for two years. later.
In 1977 she appeared as Wednesday Sr. in the television movie “Halloween with the New Addams Family.”
Loring’s deadpan performance of the character, based on the cartoons of New Yorker Charles Addams, paved the way for other actresses, including Christina Ricci, who starred as Wednesday in the 1991 hit “The Addams Family” and its sequel, “Addams Family Values.” .”
Jenna Ortega said her version of the pop culture icon was also inspired by Loring, after Tim Burton’s Netflix comedy-horror “Wednesday” premiered last year.
“I bowed to Lisa Loring, the first in Addams. I was doing a little bit of her mixing, like her,” Ortega said during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in December.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Loring was born Lisa Ann DeCinces in the Marshall Islands and got her stage name when she started modeling at the age of three.
After appearing in the middle of “The Addams Family,” Loring joined Phyllis Diller’s sitcom “The Pruitts of Southampton.” She later landed a recurring role on “As the World Turns,” playing Cricket Montgomery.
Her acting credits also include “The Girl From UNCLE,” “Fantasy Island,” and “Barnaby Jones.”
