Actress Lisa Loring, who played Wednesday in the 1964 Television series The Addams Family, died at the age of 64 due to recurring stroke complications. She died on Saturday night in the hospital surrounded by family.
“She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands,” Loring’s daughter, Vanessa Foumberg, said.
Loring had suffered a “massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure,” her personal friend and writer Laurie Jacobson posted on Facebook. Loring had been on life support for three days before her family decided to remove it over the weekend.
“She is entrenched in the tapestry that is pop culture and, in our hearts, always as Wednesday Addams,” wrote Jacobson in commemoration to Loring’s “legacy in the realm of entertainment.”
Charles Addams’ New Yorker cartoons, which initially appeared in 1938, inspired the creation of the character Wednesday and her Addams relatives.
The actress embarked on a journey to stardom at the age of three when she starred in the medical drama Dr. Kildare, which helped her land the first screen adaptation of The Addams family. She starred as Wednesday at the age of five, stealing the hearts of the viewers with her iconic execution of the character—which was later portrayed by various actresses on television as well as on stage.
The Addams Family aired 64 episodes over two seasons, from 1964 to 1966. With her departure, John Astin, who’s now almost 93, would be the last surviving cast member of “The Addams Family” sitcom.
After the end of the sitcom, the actress appeared as a guest on other TV series, such as The Girl of the U.N.C.L.E. (1966), Fantasy Island (1978), Barnaby Jones, The Detective (1978-1979), and As the World Turns (1980-1983).
Loring appeared in movies like Violent Connection (1987), which starred Frank Stallone. Her final acting role was in the independent horror film Doctor Spine from 2015.
Loring, who was born Lisa Ann DeCinces, on February 16, 1958, in Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, reunited with her role Wednesday in a 1977 NBC telefilm Halloween with the New Addams family.
Lisa Loring: An Inspiration for Future Depictions
Loring set the tone for the future depictions of Wednesday. Recently, Jenna Ortega, who portrayed Wednesday in the latest Netflix spin-off series directed by Tim Burton, said that she was greatly inspired by Lisa in her execution of the same.
Moreover, she paid tribute to the actress by incorporating Loring’s angular moves, known as the “The Drew,” into her widely popular dance in the Netflix adaptation.
Ortega expressed her gratitude to the veteran actress for the huge popularity it received online.
“I love that Christina Ricci and Jenna Ortega always paid respectful tribute to the OG Wednesday. For those of us in our 60s this is like losing an old friend,” a fan reminisced.
“Iconic. Emblematic. Underpaid. Overworked. She captured the zeitgeist of the 21st century before it even started,” another netizen commented on her talent.
Her daughters, Marianne and Vanessa, as well as her grandchildren, Emiliana and Charles, continue her legacy to the next generation.
