Lisa Loring, the First Wednesday Addams, Revisited: A Facebook Post and Twitter Warewell to a Legendary Star
“She brought to life one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood history that is still celebrated today,” Carbaugh said. “Lisa loved sharing her memories and meeting all her fans across the world.”
Laurie Jacobson said in a Facebook post that Loring had a massive stroke due to smoking and high blood pressure and was on life support for three days.
Following news of her death, fans flocked to social media to pay tribute, with one person writing on Twitter: “Farewell to Lisa Loring, the person who DEFINED Wednesday Addams at a time when she was just a frowning newspaper drawing.”
Loring’s delivery of the character, based on the New Yorker cartoons, paved the way for other actresses, such as Christina Ricci, who starred in the 1991 hit movie “The Addams Family” and its sequel “Addams Family Values.”
Jenna Ortega said her version of the pop-culture icon was also inspired by Loring, following the premiere of Tim Burton’s Netflix comedy horror “Wednesday,” last year.
“I paid homage to Lisa Loring, the first Wednesday Addams. During an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy” in December, Ortega said he did a little bit of her shuffle.
Loring was given a stage name when she was 3 and was born in the Marshall Islands.
Loring: From The Addams Family to Iced, Iced and Other Gothic Thrillers (The Avatars)
She was popular with fans who viewed themselves as social outsiders, because of her enthusiasm for raising spiders and beheading dolls. Her dark braids and white-collared frock continue to inspire gothic fashion.
The character has been given fresh interpretations in a half dozen reprisal films and series, most recently the 2022 Netflix streaming series Wednesday, starring Jenny Ortega.
After the end of the Addams Family, Loring appeared in short-lived shows and low-budget horror films such as Iced.
IMBD suggests Loring quit acting in the mid 1990s after a friend’s suicide and her own drug addictions. In later years, she was a makeup artist.