Lisa Loring Dies: Actor & Original Wednesday Addams Was 64

Lisa Loring, best known for bringing Wednesday Addams to life in The Addams Family sitcom in the mid-1960s, has died. She was 64.

Loring’s close friend Laure Jacobson shared in a Facebook post news of her death on January 28 after the actor was taken off life support following “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,” Jacobson informed on the social media post.

She 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. Damn, girl…you were a ton of fun.”

Loring’s work as Wednesday Addams had recently resurged following Jenna Ortega’s portrayal of the iconic character in the Netflix series. Loring was the original Wednesday in the first live-action adaptation of Charles Addams’ New Yorker cartoons. The show produced 64 episodes between two seasons from 1964 through 1966.

After The Addams Family, Loring, who was born Lisa Ann DeCinces in Kwajalein, Marshall Islands on February 16, 1958, went on to make appearances on multiple shows like The Phyllis Diller Show, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Fantasy Island, Barnaby Jones and As the World Turns, where she had a recurring role as Cricket Montgomery.

Loring went on to reprise her Wednesday role in 1977 in the television movie Halloween with the New Addams Family. Her last acting credit was in 2015 with the film Doctor Spine.