Lisa Loring, who played Wednesday Addams in the first television version of “The Addams Family,” has passed away at the age of 64.
Longtime agent Chris Carbaugh told CNN in a statement on Monday that Loring “passed away on Saturday surrounded by her family.”
“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.”
The former child star was a mother and grandma, her agency noted, adding, “She will be missed dearly.” Loring’s friend Laurie Jacobson also posted about her death on Facebook, saying that 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.”
Fans rushed to social media after hearing about her death to pay tribute. One person wrote on Twitter, “Farewell to Lisa Loring, the person who DEFINED Wednesday Addams when she was just a frowning newspaper drawing.”
The causes of death of a few other celebrities who passed away recently have been reported on as well, so feel free to peruse this information if you’re interested:
- How Did Annie Wersching Die, and What Kind of Cancer Did She Have?
- Tom Verlaine Lead Singer for the Rock Band Television Died at Age 73
After being cast in “The Addams Family” in 1964, Loring became the model for Wednesday, who is pale and wears pigtails. She started playing the death-obsessed character when she was six years old and did so until the show ended two years later. In the TV movie “Halloween with the New Addams Family” from 1977, she played Wednesday Sr.
Loring’s deadpan performance of the character, which was based on Charles Addams’s cartoons in the New Yorker, paved the way for other actresses, like Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the hit 1991 movie “The Addams Family” and its sequel, “Addams Family Values.”
Jenna Ortega said that Tim Burton’s Netflix comedy horror “Wednesday” also influenced her version of the pop culture icon. “Wednesday” came out last year and was a comedy horror movie with a horror twist.
“I paid homage to Lisa Loring, the first Wednesday Addams. I did a little bit of her shuffle that she does,” Ortega once said in an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in December.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Loring was born Lisa Ann DeCinces in the Marshall Islands. She got her stage name when she started modeling at age 3.
After playing Wednesday on “The Addams Family,” Loring joined “The Pruitts of Southampton,” a sitcom starring Phyllis Diller. She later got a recurring part as Cricket Montgomery on “As the World Turns.”
She has also been in “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.,” “Fantasy Island,” and “Barnaby Jones,” among other shows.
