Celebrities
Lisa Loring, original Wednesday Addams actress, dead at 64
Loring was just six when she starred in the 1960s adaptation of the Charles Addams’ cartoons, ‘The Addams Family’.
Lisa Loring, best known for her role as Wednesday Addams in the original ‘The Addams Family’ sitcom, has died at the age of 64 from a stroke.
Her daughter, Vanessa Foumberg, told Variety that she passed away Saturday night in hospital surrounded by family.
“She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands,” she said.
Loring’s friend, author Laurie Jacobson, also reported her death on Facebook.
“It is with great sadness that I report the death of our friend, Lisa Loring,” she wrote. “Four days ago she suffered a massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure. She had been on life support for three days.
“Yesterday, her family made the difficult decision to remove it and she passed last night. She is embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture and in our hearts always as Wednesday Addams.
“Beautiful, kind, a loving mother, Lisa’s legacy in the world of entertainment is huge. And the legacy for her family and friends -- a wealth of humor, affection and love will long play in our memories. RIP, Lisa. Damn, girl...you were a ton of fun.”
Loring as Wednesday Addams
Loring played Wednesday Addams from 1964 to 1966 on the sitcom ‘The Addams Family’. She took on the role when she was just six years old.
Her performance of the death-obsessed character has greatly influenced future depictions of the character, including Christina Ricci, who starred as Wednesday in the 1991 movie ‘The Addams Family’ and its sequel, ‘Addams Family Value’.
Loring’s frug dance called ‘The Drew’ gained renewed attention with the recent Netflix series ‘Wednesday’ starring Jenna Ortega. Ortega thanked Loring when the dance became a hit on social media.
“I paid homage to Lisa Loring, the first Wednesday Addams. I did a little bit of her shuffle that she does,” Ortega said on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ in December.
Loring’s other projects
Loring was born Lisa Ann DeCinces in the Marshall Islands in 1958, and later moved to Hawaii and Los Angeles with her mother.
She began modelling when she was three and landed her first role on television in the medical drama ‘Dr. Kildare’ soon after.
After her run on ‘The Addams Family’, she joined the sitcom ‘The Pruitts of Southampton’, and later made appearances on ‘The Girl From U.N.C.L.E’, ‘Fantasy Island’ and ‘Barnaby Jones’. She also had a recurring role as Cricket Montgomery on ‘As the World Turns’ from 1980 to 1983.
She is survived by two daughters, Marianne and Vanessa, as well as her grandchildren, Emiliana and Charles.