Loring's close friend Laure Jacobson shared the news of her death on Saturday, January 28, after the actress was taken from life following "a massive stroke" in a post on Facebook.
“Four days ago she, Lisa Loring (pictured), suffered a massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure,” Laurie detailed in her post about the Addams Family star. “She had been on life support for three days,” the post went on to share, with Laurie ultimately disclosing, “Yesterday, her family made the difficult decision to remove it and she passed last night.”
The statement added: “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 humour, affection and love will long play in our memories. RIP, Lisa. Damn, girl…you were a ton of fun.”
Loring's work as Wednesday Addams had recently resurfaced following Jenna Ortega's portrayal of the iconic character in the Netflix series. Loring was the original Wednesday in the first live-action adaptation of Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The series produced 64 episodes between seasons from 1964 to 1966.
Prior to being cast as the youngest Addams offspring, Loring guest-starred in an episode of NBC's medical drama Dr. Kildare starring Richard Chamberlain. After The Addams Family, Loring, who was born Lisa Ann DeCinces on February 16, 1958 in Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, went on to appear in multiple series such as Fantasy Island (1977), Barnaby Jones and As the World Turns, where she had a recurring role as Cricket Montgomery.
Loring reprized her role as Wednesday in the 1977 television movie Halloween with the New Addams Family. Her last acting role was in 2015 with the movie Doctor Spine.