The woman who played the original Wednesday Addams, Lisa Loring, has passed away at the a of 64. Her longtime agent, Chris Carbaugh, revealed she “passed away on Saturday surrounded by her family.”
Loring “brought to life one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood history that is still celebrated today” he added. She enjoyed “sharing her memories and meeting all her fans across the world.”
Her Early Years
She was born on Feb. 16, 1958, in Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. The island is located roughly 2,400 miles (2,100 nautical miles) southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. There has been an American naval base on the island since World War II. Both of her parents were personnel of the U.S. Navy.
Shortly after her birth, Loring’s parents separated. Her mother Judith Loring gained custody of her.
Initially, the actress was raised in Hawaii, however, she and her mother eventually moved to Los Angeles. In 1961, the star began working as a child model. Eventually, she took some acting roles including a guest spot on an episode of the medical drama “Dr. Kildare.”
Her first regular role was on the TV series “The Addams Family” where she played the lovable gothic child Wednesday Addams. She was 6 years old when she took that role. “The Addams Family” lasted for two seasons with 64 episodes before ending in 1966.
After that Loring played Susan “Suzy” Pruitt in “The Pruitts of Southampton.” The short-lived sitcom was the brainchild of David Levy and used most of the former cast of “The Addams Family.”
Marriages and Career
When she was 15 years old she married her boyfriend Farrel Foumberg. She birthed her daughter Vannessa in their first year of marriage together. However, the young couple got divorced in 1974. That same year Loring’s mother died losing her battle with her alcoholism.
Having proven herself as her most memorable character, Wednesday Addams, Loring appeared in a few TV movies in the late 1970s. In 1977, she was cast as Wednesday Sr. in the TV film “Halloween with the New Addams Family.”
Three years later she joined the soap opera world in the TV series “As the World Turns.” She played Cricket Montgomery the half-sister of Margo Montgomery Hughes. Loring appeared in the soap opera until 1984.
In 1981, she married Doug Stevenson, a soap opera actor. They had their daughter Marianne before divorcing in 1983.
She was an uncredited co-writer for the 1987 pornographic film “Traci’s Big Trick,” according to IMDb. A year later, she played in the slasher film “Blood Frenzy.” In 1988, she co-starred in the slasher movie “Iced.”
Depression and Tragic Events
Loring suffered from depression due to the decline of her career and failing marriage by the early 1990s. To “help” ease her pain she attempted to self-medicate, ultimately leading to her drug addiction.
In 1991, she was the one who discovered her friend Kelly Van Dyke’s body. Her dear friend had hung herself. This added to Loring’s fragile state of mind.
The actress went to rehab and kicked her addiction in 1992. Other than participating in a few interviews, the star took a break from acting.
By the mid-2010s she resumed her acting career appearing in a couple of horror movies.
Her friend Laurie Jacobson announced her death on Facebook. Jacobson posted that her friend “suffered a massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure.”
The actress “had been on life support for 3 days,” added Jacobson. On January 29, “her family made the difficult decision to remove it.” That night she passed away.
She is embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture and in our hearts always as Wednesday Addams.
The actress is survived by her family and friends. Her fans are mourning her death as well. May she rest in peace.
https://twitter.com/accesshollywood/status/1620142427884363788
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
CNN: Lisa Loring, original Wednesday Addams actress, dead at 64
IMDb: Lisa Loring
The Guardian: Lisa Loring, the original Wednesday Addams, dies at age 64
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of m3rkin‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons license
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