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'Thank you for everything': Jenna Ortega 'devastated' by death of original Wednesday Addams Lisa Loring

Jenna Ortega, who took inspiration from Lisa Loring, mourned the death of original Wednesday Addams

PALM DESERT. CALIFORNIA: Jenna Ortega paid tribute to Lisa Loring, the first actress to play the role of Wednesday Addams in the 1966 sitcom 'The Addams Family'. She died at the age of 64 on Saturday, January 28. Ortega who reprised the role of Wednesday for the recent Netflix show of the same name shared a black and white photo of Loring playing the role as a child on her Instagram stories and stated that she is “absolutely devastated.” 

“Thank you for everything,” the 20-year-old star added in her touching message shared on Monday, January 30. Ortega’s heartfelt note comes shortly after Loring’s longtime agent Chris Carbaugh announced her death. “[Lisa]“passed away on Saturday surrounded by her family,” Chris told CNN in a statement. “She brought to life one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood history that is still celebrated today,” Carbaugh said. He further said, “Lisa loved sharing her memories and meeting all her fans across the world. She will be missed dearly.” Loring is a mother of two daughters, Vanessa, 49, and Marianne, 39.

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How did Lisa Loring die?

It was Lisa Loring's actress friend Laurie Jacobsen who shared more details about her untimely death. She wrote on Facebook: "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." 

'RIP dear Lisa Loring'

Many other celebrities took to social media to pay tributes to the first Wednesday Addams actress. "Farewell lifelong muse. I loved you well. You were the OG. Thank you Lisa Loring for making weird girls seem so cool," tweeted the band Garbage. "Rip dear Lisa Loring. Delightful in the role of the youngest member of The Addams Family, your iconic presence as the original Wednesday will forever be remembered. You were an important part of our cultural history. I was so happy I met you. I hope you knew how much we loved you," actress Barbara Crampton wrote. 

Jenna Ortega took inspiration from Lisa Loring

Back in December 2022, during an interview on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', Ortega admitted that she took inspiration from the original Wednesday Addams for the iconic dance scene in the hit Netflix show. "I paid homage to Lisa Loring, the first Wednesday Addams. I did a little bit of her shuffle that she does," she said at that time, as per the DailyMail report.