Original Wednesday Addams, Lisa Loring, Passes Away At 64
Lisa Loring, the first actress who brought to life Wednesday Addams in the TV show The Addams Family, has passed away due to a stroke. She was 64 years old.
According to Deadline, the actress died due to a massive stroke. Laure Jacobson, a good friend of Lisa, also confirmed the news in a Facebook post, “It is with great sadness that I report the passing of our friend, Lisa Loring. 4 days ago, she suffered a massive stroke caused by smoking and high blood pressure.”
She added that the family had to make the tough decision to take her off life support last Saturday. She paid tribute to Lisa, who was a wonderful mother and a loving, humorous, and kind person. She had left an indelible mark in the world of entertainment, just as she had in the hearts of family and friends.
Vanessa Foumberg, Lisa’s daughter, also confirmed the news of her mother’s death to Variety. She released the statement, “She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands.”
Lisa took on the role of Wednesday when she was just six years old. She was the first Wednesday Addams in any live-action adaptation of this infamous Charles Addams New Yorker cartoon.
She played the character for two seasons (1964–1966), with 64 episodes. Wednesday is known for her black dresses and twin braids. Her character has always been gloomy but has a hint of sweetness and loves collecting creepy pets, including Lucifer, the lizard, Homer, the black widow spider, and a headless doll.
Lisa reprised her role in the 1977 television movie Halloween with the New Addams Family after The Addams Family ended.
After Lisa, Christina Ricci inherited the role. She played Wednesday Addams in the 1991 movie The Addams Family and its sequel, The Addams Family Values.
Lisa’s iconic role has recently made a stronger comeback and is back in the spotlight thanks to the new Netflix series Wednesday, played by Jenna Ortega. It follows the student life of the daughter of Gomez and Morticia Addams.
Lisa’s first husband was her childhood sweetheart, Farrell Foumberg. She was only 15 years old when she got pregnant with her first child one year later. But it was not Lisa’s happily ever after, as their union ended in 1974.
In 1981, she married fellow actor Doug Stevenson, but again, the marriage was short-lived, lasting only two years. After six years, in 1987, Lisa married her third husband, Jerry Butler, an adult film star, but later divorced him in 1992.
Lisa’s last husband was Graham Rich, whom she married in 2003 but divorced in 2014.
Lisa was born in the Marshall Islands and lived in Hawaii. After her parents’ divorce, she came to Los Angeles with her mother. Her modeling career kicked off by age three, and she was then part of the cast in the 1964 episode of Dr. Kildare.
Lisa then found her fame as Wednesday and more projects came her way. Her most recent film appearance was in Doctor Spine in 2015.
Lisa’s two daughters, Marianne and Vanessa, and her grandchildren, Emiliana and Charles, survive her.
