Tragic news for fans of the original Addams Family sitcom as the very first actress to play Wednesday Addams, Lisa Loring, has been confirmed dead at the age of 64. While Lisa is credited as the OG for bringing Wednesday Addams to life, many others have stepped into the role over the years. The most recent being Jenna Ortega who starred as Wednesday in the Netflix Original Series dedicated specifically to this member of the Addams family. With Wednesday being such a recent smash hit for Netflix, news of Lisa Loring’s sudden passing is especially saddening for fans.
Has Lisa Loring’s cause of death been revealed? Plus, what other shows did Lisa snag roles in? Keep reading for all the details.
OG Wednesday Addams, Lisa Loring, Dead At 64
It was Lisa Loring’s dear friend Laure Jacobson who confirmed the actress passed away via a Facebook post. Laure also revealed her friend’s cause of death. On January 28th, the OG Wednesday Addams passed away after being taken off life support after having “a massive stroke.”
“It is with great sadness that I report the death of our friend, Lisa Loring. 4 Days ago she suffered a massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure. She had been on life support for 3 days. Yesterday, her family made the difficult decision to remove it and she passed last night.”
RIP Lisa Loring
The original TV Wednesday Addams.
A hugely talented child performer.
Leaves just John Astin left of the cast. pic.twitter.com/8RSjN4QIjc
— David Brunt (@David__Brunt) January 30, 2023
The post revealed that Lisa had a stroke four days prior to her passing. After being on life support for three days, the family of the actress made the difficult decision to remove her from life support.
Her friend’s Facebook post continued: “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. D*mn, girl…you were a ton of fun.”
R.I.P Lisa Loring, our original Wednesday Addams 🖤 pic.twitter.com/XmzFuGQ5it
— Reign 🦇🖤 (@reigneko) January 30, 2023
Closer Look At Her Career
As mentioned previously, Lisa Loring is credited for being the first individual to bring Wednesday Addams to life. The first live-action adaption of the Charles Addams’ New Yorker cartoons aired for two seasons between 1964 and 1966. Lisa played the role of Wednesday for 62 episodes.
After starring in The Adams Family, she went on to make appearances in several different shows including The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Fantasy Island, and Barnaby Jones. She even snagged a recurring role as Cricket Montgomery in As The World Turns.
Rest in Peace Lisa Loring, the original Wednesday Addams.
The original Wednesday dance with Ted Cassidy from the 1964 episode, Lurch Learns to Dance. pic.twitter.com/ri3wTorYUo
— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) January 30, 2023
Per IMDb, Lisa had less than 20 credits to her name. Her most recent acting credit dates back to 2015 when she played the role of Miss Rhonda in Doctor Spine.
Rest in peace, Lisa Loring.
