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The last living Munchkin fromTheWizard of Ozhas died.
Jerry Maren, who memorably welcomed Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) to Munchkinland in the classic 1939 film as part of the Lollipop Guild, died last week at a San Diego nursing care facility,TMZreported. The actor was laid to rest over the weekend at Forest Lawn in Hollywood, said the outlet.
According to theChicago Tribune, Maren was the final surviving Munchkin actor from the 124 little people who starred inThe Wizard of Oz.The bio on hisInstagram pagealso states, “Last living munchkin from the Wizard of Oz.”
Maren was close to his nieces and nephews after his wife Elizabeth, who was also a little person, died in 2011 at age 69, TMZ reports.
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However, he is best remembered for being in the middle of the Lollipop Guild trio donning green and presenting Garland with a giant candy.
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“I’ve done so many things in show business, but people say, ‘You were inThe Wizard of Oz?’It takes people’s breath away,” Maren recalled during an interview withPatchin 2011. “But then I realized, ‘Geez,it must have been a hell of a picture, because everyone remembers it everywhere I go.'”
source: people.com
