Lisa Loring, the first Wednesday Addams, passed away at age 64
At the age of 64, Lisa Loring passed away. She was well known for being the first actress to portray Wednesday Addams in the original “The Addams Family” series.
In a statement to CNN on Monday, Loring’s longtime agent Chris Carbaugh said that she “went away on Saturday surrounded by her family.”
According to Carbaugh, “She brought to life one of the most legendary figures in Hollywood history that is still appreciated today.” Lisa enjoyed telling stories about her past and interacting with her worldwide following.
Her agency said that the former child star was a mother and grandma and that “she will be mourned greatly.”
Loring’s friend Laurie Jacobson also posted on Facebook that she had passed away, stating that she had “suffered a huge stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure.”
“She had been kept alive for three days. Her family took the agonizing choice to remove it yesterday, and she passed away last night, according to Jacobson. She is permanently etched in our hearts as Wednesday Addams and in the tapestry of popular culture.
As soon as word of her passing spread, people hurried to social media to share their condolences. One user on Twitter wrote: “Farewell to Lisa Loring, the lady who DEFINED Wednesday Addams at a time when she was simply a frowning newspaper caricature.”
After being chosen for the role of Loring in the comedy “The Addams Family” in 1964, she served as the model for the pale, pigtail-sporting Wednesday. When the performance ended two years later, she was still portraying the persona she had taken on when she was six years old.
In the 1977 television movie “Halloween with the New Addams Family,” she played Wednesday Sr.
Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the 1991 smash films “The Addams Family” and “Addams Family Values,” was inspired by Loring’s deadpan portrayal of the character in the New Yorker drawings of Charles Addams.
Following the debut of Tim Burton’s Netflix comedy horror “Wednesday” last year, Jenna Ortega said that her interpretation of the pop culture figure was also influenced by Loring.
Lisa Loring, the original Wednesday Addams, was honored by me. In December, Ortega made a visit on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” when he admitted to doing a little portion of her signature shuffle.
The Hollywood Reporter states that Loring was given her stage name when she began modeling at the age of three. She was born Lisa Ann DeCinces in the Marshall Islands.
Loring joined Phyllis Diller’s comedy “The Pruitts of Southampton” after playing Wednesday in “The Addams Family.” Later, she was cast as Cricket Montgomery in a recurring role on “As the World Turns.”
Along with “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.,” “Fantasy Island,” and “Barnaby Jones,” she has been in other television programs.
