Ken Weatherwax, who played the original Pugsley Addams on The Addams Family television show, died of an apparent heart attack Sunday, according to his nephew, Beau Vieira. He was 59.
Weatherwax died in his home in the West Hills, Vieira said. "The family is devastated," he said.
Pugsley, the oldest child of Morticia and Gomez Addams, was always seen wearing a striped shirt and shorts. The show, never a critical success, premiered in 1964 and lasted for two seasons. It had a finger-snapping theme song and presented a comically macabre family. In addition to the show, Weatherwax acted in several commercials as a youth. After high school Weatherwax served in the Army, according to a niece, Shanyn Vieira. Weatherwax also worked as a grip for Universal Studios, she said.
Two movies based on the show were made, one in 1991 and a sequel in 1993. In a 2007 interview with Bill O'Reilly, Weatherwax said he enjoyed being on the set and playing Pugsley while the show was on TV, but he struggled finding acting work afterward because of typecasting, he said. Weatherwax is survived by his brother, character actor Joseph D. Vieira, and his niece and nephew.
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RIP Pugsley
RIP Pugsley
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