Weatherwax (at right) with the original Addams Family cast. Source: News Corp Australia
ACTOR Ken Weatherwax, who played Pugsley in the original Addams Family television series, has reportedly died of a heart attack at 59 years old.
TMZ reports that the actor, who starred as the supernaturally-obsessed Addams family’s youngest son, will be farewelled by his family in two separate funerals.
Based on a series of cartoons in the New Yorker, The Addams Family ran for just two seasons from 1964 to 1966 — 64 episodes in total. Despite its brief run, the show left an indelible mark on pop culture, from the instantly recognisable theme song to the comically ghoulish members of the Addams Family itself: Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Lurch and of course Pugsley.
Pugsley was the Addams’ youngest child. Source: Supplied
The show has enjoyed a new life on DVD. Source: News Limited
In the 1990s, the show enjoyed a new burst of interest thanks to two big budget film adaptations.
After The Addams Family was cancelled, Weatherwax found it difficult make the transition from child actor to adult actor, and instead worked behind the camera as a movie studio grip and set builder.
He did however maintain semi-regular contact with Addams Family fans thanks to occasional appearances at fan conventions and the like.
