Lisa Loring, original Wednesday Addams actress, dead at 64

Lisa Loring, best known as the first actress to play Wednesday Addams in the original "The Addams Family" sitcom, has died at the age of 64.
Loring's daughter, Vanessa Foumberg, confirmed in a statement to Variety that her mother died Saturday of a stroke.
"She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands," Foumberg said.
Laurie Jacobson, Loring's friend, also reported her death on Facebook, saying she had "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," Jacobson wrote. "She is embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture and in our hearts always as Wednesday Addams."
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 was the blueprint for the pale, pigtail-wearing Wednesday after being cast in the sitcom "The Addams Family" in 1964. She took on the role when she was six years old and played the death-obsessed character until the show ended two years later.
In 1977, she appeared as Wednesday Sr. in the television film "Halloween with the New Addams Family."
Loring's deadpan delivery of the character, based on the New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams, paved the way for other actresses, including Christina Ricci, who starred as Wednesday 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. I did a little bit of her shuffle that she does," Ortega said during an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in December.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Loring was born Lisa Ann DeCinces in the Marshall Islands and was given her stage name when she started modelling at age 3.
Following her stint as Wednesday in "The Addams Family," Loring joined Phyllis Diller's sitcom "The Pruitts of Southampton." She later landed a recurring role in "As the World Turns," playing Cricket Montgomery.
Her acting credits also include shows "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," "Fantasy Island" and "Barnaby Jones."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Biden is coming to Canada: Here's what we know about his visit
U.S. President Joe Biden is coming to Canada Thursday evening, kicking off his short but long-awaited overnight official visit to Canada. Here's what CTV News has confirmed about what will be on the agenda, and what key players are saying about the upcoming visit.

First victim in fatal Old Montreal fire identified as 76-year-old woman
Montreal police have identified the first victim of the deadly fire in Old Montreal last week that has left two dead and five missing. Insp. David Shane said it was a woman named Camille Maheux, who was 76 years old.
Canada broke a population growth record in 2022: StatCan
Canada's population grew by more than one million over the course of one calendar year, breaking previous records, a new Statistics Canada report says.
Top 4 quirky consumer complaints received in 2022: BBB
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says it receives tens of thousands of complaints from consumers across Canada each year, but once in a while a "quirky" one will take them by surprise.
What are the predictions for Canada's real estate market this spring?
The Canadian real estate market has been sluggish since last year, when prospective buyers started putting off plans to purchase homes as the Bank of Canada aggressively hiked interest rates eight consecutive times. But realtors see many edging toward a purchase once more.
5 planets will align in an arc across the night sky next week
Sky-gazers will be treated to a parade of planets near the end of month when Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars will appear together in the night sky.
Canada allowing Ukrainians overseas to apply for free emergency visa until mid-July
The federal government will give Ukrainians until mid-July to apply for a free temporary visa to Canada under an emergency program put in place last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Prince William visits troops in Poland on surprise trip
Prince William made an unannounced trip to Poland on Wednesday to thank British and Polish troops involved in providing support to Ukraine, before meeting refugees who have fled the conflict with Russia to hear of their experiences.
AP sources: Manhattan DA postpones Trump grand jury session
Manhattan prosecutors postponed a scheduled grand jury session Wednesday in the investigation into Donald Trump over hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign, at least temporarily slowing a decision on whether to charge the ex-president.