Lisa Loring, the original Wednesday Addams actress, dies aged 64

Hollywood actor Lisa Loring passed away on January 30, 2023. She was 64 years old at the time of her passing. She is known for playing the character of ‘Wednesday Addams’ in the 1960s TV adaptation of The Addams Family.

Vanessa Foumberg spoke with The Hollywood Reporter upon the passing of her mother. She revealed to the outlet that Lisa Loring suffered a stroke due to high blood pressure. She added that she passed peacefully while holding hands with both of her daughters. 

"She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands," told Foumberg to the outlet. 

Loring was on placed on life-support for the last three days, her friend Laurie Jacobson said on Facebook in a post. 

The Addams Family ran from 1964 to 1966 on the ABC Network. It was an adaptation of Charles Addams’ New Yorker cartoons of the same name. The actor also appeared on the sitcom The Pruitts of Southampton and As the World Turns, which was a soap opera. 

The legacy of Lisa Loring

Lisa Loring was originally called Lisa Ann DeCinces. She took on the stage name ‘Lisa Loring’ at the age of three and started her career in modelling. 

Loring’s portrayal as Wednesday Addams has gone on to inspire further renditions of her role. In a subsequent rework of The Addams Family, actress Christina Ricci famously played the role. 

The Netflix adaptation of the show Wednesday showcases actress Jenna Ortega, who is the most recent actor to play the character. The Addams Family spin-off has gone on to become one of the most-watched shows on Netflix. 

During her appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Jenna Ortega told the talk-show host that she paid homage to “the first Wednesday Addams” by incorporating “a little bit of her shuffle that she does".

After Lisa Loring’s passing, actor John Astin is the last living member of the original Addams Family cast. He played the character of Gomez Addams on the show.