Lisa Loring, the original Wednesday Addams actress, died at 64.
Loring passed away on Saturday evening at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, from complications from a stroke caused by high blood pressure.
Her daughter Vanessa Foumberg released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter about her mother’s death.
“She went peacefully with both her daughters [Vanessa and Marianne] holding her hands,” she said.
Loring also played Wednesday Addams in the original sitcom from 1964 to 1966.
She then starred in the 1977 television movie Halloween With the New Addams Family.
In other television work, she had a recurring role in the series As the World Turns and appeared in slasher movies in the ’80s.
Lisa Loring recalls auditioning for Wednesday Addams in a resurfaced clip
In a clip from a video interview, Loring revealed that she was just over five years old when she auditioned for what would be an iconic role.
Loring said she couldn’t read at the time, and the producer initially didn’t want to cast children of her age, but her signature pout got her the role.
“The character of Wednesday Addams, as being a little girl, was sometimes difficult for me because she had to be morose,” Loring said in the clip, continuing:
“I was never allowed to smile. The pout was the thing, and yet I worked with these people… who were so funny and so wonderful, and I was just so happy.”
She went on to express how difficult it was to stay in character and maintain the pout for two years.
Jenna Ortega talked about being inspired by Lisa Loring
Jenna Ortega, who portrays Wednesday Addams in the smash hit Netflix series Wednesday, opened up in an interview about how Lisa Loring inspired her.
The 20-year-old went on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last month to discuss the role.
Ortega said she paid homage to the late actress by doing her famous shuffle after researching her Wednesday dance.
However, Ortega said it was cut from the aired clip, but it is certain that they have the footage.
A clip of Loring’s awesome dance has been circulating on social media following her untimely death.
With Loring’s death, the 92-year-old John Astin, who played Gomez Addam, is the last surviving member of the original cast of The Addams Family.
Loring is survived by her daughters, Marianne and Vanessa, and her grandchildren, Emiliana and Charles.