By Camille Garcia, 10th Grade

Over the years we have witnessed several versions of that iconic show that we all know: “The Addams Family.” Especially various remakes of the Wednesday character. Right now, the one we recognize the most is Jenna Ortega with her role in Netflix’s “Wednesday”. But, if we go all the way back to the original cast of The Addams Family, we will see that the first version was released in 1964—with Carolyn Jones as ‘Morticia Addams’, John Astin as ‘Gomez Addams’, Ken Weatherwax as ‘Pugsley Addams’, and Lisa Loring as Wednesday. Sadly, the original Wednesday died a few weeks ago on January 28th at 64 years-old. She wore  pigtails, a pale face, little expressions, and dark clothes.

Original Cast of 1960’s The Addams Family

Her daughter Vanessa Foumberg, confirmed her death the day after and affirmed that her mother died from complications after a stroke in Burbank, California. She was using a ventilator and after being in the hospital for three days her family made the decision of removing it, causing her death. Doctors believe the stroke was a consequence of her smoking and high blood pressure issues. At least we know that she died peacefully, surrounded by her family, and holding the hands of her daughters—Vanessa and Marianne Loring. She left a great legacy for her friends and family, and will always be remembered for her excellent Wednesday performance, which inspired multiple generations of the beloved character. As you may know, Christina Ricci (1991), and Jenna Ortega are the reinvented versions of Wednesday. Jenna Ortega quoted and paid tribute to Loring as one of the inspirations for the iconic dance of the series “Wednesday”, which went viral on Tiktok.

Let’s remember that Loring was only 6 years old when she played this role and earned everyone’s admiration and her acting career didn’t stop there. She also participated in other films such as ‘Iced’ (1988), ‘Blood Frenzy’ (1987), ‘Savage Harbor’, ‘As the World Turns’, among others. She did a reprise of her Wednesday role in 1977, for the special of “Halloween With the New Addams Family”.

Jenna Ortega mentioning Lisa Loring as one of her inspirations for the Wednesday dance

Lisa was born in 1958, in the Marshall Islands. She was raised in Hawaii and eventually moved with her mother to Los Angeles where she started her career. Since she was 5 years old, Wednesday was her first big role. She married at fifteen for the first time, and after this, she married three more times. She had two daughters and continued her career as an actress, however, her last acting credit was in 2015. She will always be remembered with love, just as her friend said on her Facebook post:“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.”

References:

• Couto, S.D. (2023) Lisa Loring, the original Wednesday Addams Actor, dies at 64 – national, Global News. Global News. Available at: https://globalnews.ca/news/9445654/lisa-loring-wednesday-addams-dead/  (Accessed: February 5, 2023). 
• 161385360554578 (2023) Wednesday Addams actress Lisa Loring dies aged 64 as cause of death revealed, The US Sun. Available at: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/7258312/lisa-loring-dead-wednesday-addams-family/   (Accessed: February 5, 2023). 
• Hauser, C. (2023) Lisa Loring, Wednesday addams in ‘The addams family,’ dies at 64, The New York Times. The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/arts/television/lisa-loring-dead.html  (Accessed: February 5, 2023).