DailyExpertNews
—
Lisa Loring, best known as the first actress to play Wednesday Addams on the original sitcom “The Addams Family,” has passed away at the age of 64.
Loring “died Saturday surrounded by her family,” former cop Chris Carbaugh told DailyExpertNews in a statement Monday.
“She brought to life one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood history who is still celebrated today,” said Carbaugh. “Lisa loved sharing her memories and meeting all her fans around the world.”
The former child star was a mother and grandmother, her agent added, saying: “She will be sorely missed.”
Laurie Jacobson, Loring’s girlfriend, also reported her death on Facebook, saying she had “suffered a massive stroke due to smoking and high blood pressure”.
“She had been on a ventilator for 3 days. Yesterday her family made the difficult decision to remove it and she passed away last night,” Jacobson wrote. “She’s embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture and in our hearts always as Wednesday Addams.”
Following the news of her death, fans flocked to social media to pay tribute, with one person writing on Twitter, “Goodbye to Lisa Loring, the person who DEFINED Wednesday Addams at a time when she was just a frowning newspaper draft.”
Loring was the blueprint for the pale, tail-wearing Wednesday after she was cast in the 1964 sitcom “The Addams Family.” She took the role when she was six years old and played the death-obsessed character until the show ended two years. later on.
In 1977 she appeared as Wednesday Sr. in the television movie ‘Halloween with the New Addams Family’.
Loring’s deadpan portrayal of the character, based on Charles Addams’ New Yorker cartoons, paved the way for other actresses, including Christina Ricci, who starred Wednesday in the 1991 hit film “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 tribute 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.
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 age 3.
After her role 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 UNCLE’, ‘Fantasy Island’ and ‘Barnaby Jones’.