Lisa Loring: who was original Wednesday Addams actor - was she in the Netflix version with Jenna Ortega?

Original Wednesday Addams actress Lisa Loring has died aged 64 after suffering from a stroke which left her on life support.

She passed away at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, “with both her daughters holding her hands” her daughter Vanessa Foumberg told The Hollywood Reporter.

Who was Lisa Loring?

Loring was an American actress best known as the original Wednesday Addams in the 1966 sitcom The Addams Family.

She was born on 16 February 1958, on Kwajalein Atoll, which is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. At the time it was a United Nations Trust Territory, but has since been administered by the US. Loring grew up in Hawaii before later moving with her mother to Los Angeles, where she started modelling at the age of three.

Following her stint as Wednesday Addams, Loring went on to appear in the sitcom The Pruitts of Southampton in 1966, and from 1980 to 1983, she starred as Cricket Montgomery on As the World Turns. She also appeared in the slasher films Blood Frenzy, Iced and Savage Harbor.

Over the course of her life, Loring was married and divorced four times. In 1973, when Loring was 15 years old, she married her childhood sweetheart and first husband Farrell Foumberg, with whom she had her first daughter, Vanessa.

The two divorced a year later, and she went on to marry her second husband, actor Doug Stevenson, in 1981. She had her second daughter with Stevenson, Marianne, before the pair went their separate ways in 1983.

A few years later, in 1987, Loring tied the knot with Jerry Butler, an adult film actor, whom she met on the set of the adult film Traci’s Big Trick, on which Loring was working as a make-up artist and writer under the name Maxine Factor. She and Butler then divorced in 1992.

Her fourth marriage was to Graham Rich in 2003, however they separated in 2008 before getting divorced in 2014.

When did she play Wednesday Addams - is she in Netflix version?

Loring was the original Wednesday Addams in the 1964 TV series The Addams Family. She starred alongside the likes of Carolyn Jones (Capitol, Fantasy Island) as Morticia Addams, John Astin (Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Night Court) as Gomez Addams, Jackie Coogan (Tom Sawyer, Oliver Twist) as Uncle Fester and Ted Cassidy (Star Trek, The Incredible Hulk) as Lurch.

She took on the role for two years, between 1964 and 1966, appearing in all 64 episodes of the series. Loring revived the role in the 1977 NBC TV movie Halloween with the Addams Family, which saw the majority of the original cast reunite.

Over the course of her career, Loring spoke fondly of her time on The Addams Family, stating in a 2017 interview at the Mosterpalooza convention: “It was like a real family - you couldn’t have picked a better cast and crew. Carolyn Jones, John Astin - Gomez and Morticia - were like parents to me. They were great.”

Loring does not appear in Netflix’s Wednesday series, which see’s Jenna Ortega (You, The Fallout) step into the role of Wednesday Addams - however, when the dance that Ortega choreographed for the show went viral, the actress paid thanks to Loring for inspiration.

Ortega wrote on Twitter: “Thanks to Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and archival footage of goths dancing in clubs in the 80’s. Helped me out on this one.”

When did she die?

Loring passed away on 28 January at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Centre, at the age of 64. Four days prior to her death, she had suffered from a stroke and had been placed on life support.

Loring’s close friend Laurie Jacobson posted on Facebook: “It is with great sadness that I report the death of our friend, Lisa Loring. Four 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 [life support] and she passed last night. 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.”

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Loring’s daughter Vanessa Foumberg said: “She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands.”

Loring is survived by her daughters Marianne and Vanessa, and her grandchildren, Emiliana and Charles.

Tributes for Lisa Loring

Following the news of her death, friends, family, fans and fellow actors have all shared tributes for the late star on Twitter.