:-(
84 is pretty good age for someone with dwarfism (or whatever the
"Politically Correct" term is these days). Most die younger than that.
From Variety.com ...
Felix Silla, Cousin Itt on 'The Addams Family,' Dies at 84
----------------------------------------------------------
Felix Silla, the actor who played beloved hairy Addams family
member Cousin Itt, has died. He was 84.
His "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" castmate, Gil Gerard,
confirmed the news on Twitter. "Felix died just a few hours
ago and the only good I can draw from his passing is that he
didn't suffer any longer," he wrote. "I will miss him
terribly, especially the time we had at our panels. Just
telling me to ," go ' f ' myself"."
Silla's death on Friday comes after a battle with pancreatic
cancer. He was a longtime resident of Las Vegas, where he
used to perform with his own musical combo, "The Original
Harmonica Band," between movies.
Born in a small village just outside Rome, Italy in January
1937, Silla came to the United States in 1955. A trained
circus performer, he toured with the Ringling Bros. and
Barnum & Bailey Show, which ultimately led him to Hollywood.
His skills as a tumbler, bareback rider and trapeze artist
landed him stuntman roles, beginning with 1963 comedy
"A Ticklish Affair." Silla also worked as a body double,
often for children, in movies like "The Towering Inferno"
(1974) and "Battlestar Galactica" (1978). His resume also
boasted roles in the original "Star Trek," "Space Ball" and
"Star Wars: Episode VI," in which he played an Ewok.
Before a series of roles in science fiction projects, Silla
played Cousin Itt, part of the kooky clan on "The Addams
Family," which ran from 1964-1966 on ABC. His costume was a
single body-length hairpiece topped by a bowler hat and pair
of sunglasses. A Los Angeles Times interview revealed the
costume was in fact made out of real human hair.
Silla is survived by his wife Sue and their children Bonnie
and Michael. The couple had been married since 1965.
<
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/felix-silla-dead-cousin-itt-addams-family-1234953729/>
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)