Margaret Pellegrini, one of the few surviving Munchkins from the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz", has died. She was 89.
Pellegrini died after suffering a stroke at her home in Phoenix, said Ted Bulthaup, who serves as a spokesman for the surviving actors who played the little people in the movie, the Hollywood Reporter said.
Pellegrini, who then stood at 3 feet, 4 inches, was only 16 when she played a "flower pot" Munchkin, one of several who greet Dorothy (Judy Garland) after she lands in Oz. She also played one of the sleepyhead kids in a later scene.
Pellegrini was active in Oz-related events, including 2007's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony honouring the Munchkins with a star.
She also was named the grand marshal of this year's "Oz-Stravaganza" parade but couldn't attend because of health issues.
With Pellegrini's death, there are only two known surviving actors out of the 124 people who portrayed Munchkins in the movie: "Lollipop Guild" member Jerry Maren, 93, who lives in Los Angeles, and Ruth Duccini, 95, of Phoenix.
Many fans left flowers on Munchkin's Hollywood Walk of Fame star after news of Pellegrini's passing emerged.
