The success of The Addams Family spin-off called Wednesday has catapulted actress Jenna Ortega into the annals of history in what has become a folkloric institution of American television. As far as millennials are concerned, Jenna Ortega is Wednesday Addams. But long before Tim Burton cast her as the latest version of the iconic charter, Christina Ricci's scene-stealing portrayal of the role endured her to the hearts of Generation X. While fans continue to debate which actress delivered the best portrayal of Wednesday, there's no denying which one is the most significant. Lisa Loring was the original Wednesday in the first-ever live-action television series of The Addams Family, which aired from 1964 to 1966 on ABC. Unlike the renditions mentioned above, Lisa played the character of Wednesday before her teenage years without having the luxury of a predecessor to study as an actress for the role.
As Lisa grew into adulthood, she became a heartthrob and on-screen performer in shows like "As the World Turns" and "The Pruitts of Southampton." Sadly, the legendary actress passed away at the age of 64 over the weekend. She died from a stroke that was brought on by high blood pressure. Shortly thereafter, her daughter, Vanessa Foumberg took to Facebook to announce her mother's passing with an emotional post.
"She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands," Foumberg said. "She is embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture and in our hearts always as Wednesday Addams."
In the wake of Lisa's passing, several fans of The Addams Family took to Twitter to share tributes to the late actress, thanking her for the warm memories. In December, Jenna Ortega paid homage to Lisa during an appearance on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon by crediting Lisa's memorable dance as a source of inspiration for the viral choreography she created for her season one of Wednesday.
MGM studios uploaded the entire series of The Addams Family on YouTube three years ago. All of the episodes have been viewed over 1 million times, even though they last aired on national television nearly 60 years ago.
Source: MSN
