DEATHS ; Notable Passings; The Thread to Pay Last Respects

Margaret Pellegrini, one of the original Munchkins from the 1939 classic movie ``The Wizard of Oz,'' has died. She was 89.

Pellegrini suffered a stroke Monday at her Glendale, Arizona, home and died Wednesday at a Phoenix-area hospital.

Her death was confirmed by Ted Bulthaup, who owns a Chicago theatre where Pellegrini and other Munchkins have made special appearances. He says he learned of it from Pellegrini's relatives.

With her death, only two of the original 124 Munchkins in the movie are still alive.

Pellegrini was a guest speaker at grade schools across the Phoenix metropolitan area for many years. The Arizona Republic reports she usually appeared in costume and told stories about her time as a Munchkin. She also talked about the movie's moral lessons.

Click to expand...

LizzieMaine said:

A moment of silence for Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Moose, Dancing Bear, and Dennis the Apprentice. Puppeteer Cosmo "Gus" Allegretti, who worked the puppets for the entire run of "Captain Kangaroo" has died at the age of 86. Somewhere pingpong balls are falling.

Click to expand...

MikeBravo said:

She seemed like a great woman, not that we heard a lot about her in this country, but I did see her interviewed once or twice.

There was a disgusting incident a few years ago, the exact details escape me, when she questioned something the Bush administration was saying. The Press Secretary was completely out of line and abusive and none of her so-called peers supported her, they just sat there like good little lap dogs while this wonderful woman was humiliated.

Possibly the last of her kind?

Click to expand...

vintageTink said:

That "wonderful woman" was a raging anti-Semite and a nasty piece of work.
And that's all I have to say about that.

Click to expand...

gtdean48 said:

Allen Lanier, BOC Founder...Don't Fear the Reaper....
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/allen-lanier-dies/

Click to expand...

John in Covina said:

He will be missed. I saw Blue Oyster Cult at the Long Beach Area in a double header concert with Richie Blackmore's Rainbow. They put on a great show and their live rendition of "Godzilla" gave me goosebumps.

Click to expand...

gtdean48 said:

They were influential in my early teenage rock & roll indoctrination. Cities Aflame with Rock & Roll lit it up for me...

Click to expand...

John in Covina said:

3000 guitars!

Click to expand...