Willy Wonka Star Denise Nickerson, 62, Taken Off Life Support After Suffering Severe Stroke

Awwww. This is so sad.

What in the hell is wrong with her in that picture? Makes Darfur orphans look fat.

She had a hot ass but....oh, wait a minute.

Godspeed, Violet.

So she essentially committed suicide. Wow. I guess she must have been miserable.

Hard to believe the film is this old.

When she appeared on the Electric Company she was rather chubby.

Long term affects of blueberry poisoning.

I loved the Neon Ceiling

The Neon Ceiling

Violet? You’re turning VIOLET, Violet!!!

She was on life support after the stroke for ONE YEAR! That's a long time, the family did the right thing. RIP Violet.

Who was she in Dark Shadows?

She was also in the pre Broadway tryout of the musical Lolita My Love which never made it to Broadway.

It was between her and Linda Blair for The Exorcist. That’s when her parents decided to take her out of acting.

I saw her recant this story at the Dark Shadows convention in New York in the mid nineties. The crowd went wild when she came out. It was her first ever convention.

On the show she first played Amy Jennings, the werewolf, Chris Jennings’ little sister. She left Dark Shadows in 1970 to film Willy Wonka.

R13, Denise played Amy Jennings and Nora Collins in the soap opera Dark Shadows.

This makes me sad. Watching Willie Wonka every year made them all seem like friends. I still love Veruca's song and my best friend and I send it to each other often.

Denise Nickerson as Amy Jennings with Jonathan Frid on Dark Shadows.

With David Selby on Dark Shadows.

spam posted by ip address 5.226.139.164 removed.

[quote]Willy Wonka Star

"Star" is being a bit generous, dontcha think?

Cute with pink ribbons on Dark Shadows.

[quote]She was on life support after the stroke for ONE YEAR! That's a long time,

No she wasn’t.

R12, what the hell makes you think that?

Reading comprehension is not your strong suit, huh?

R21 you’re a butthole. Denise Nickerson was one of the most popular child stars of the early 70’s.

You just suck.

Alexa Kenin was offered Regan in The Exorcist but her parents decided to turn the role down.

So sad. She smoked a lot which probably didn't help.

When she was a member of the Short Circus on the Electric Company...

Ironically, R27, nicotine gum could have helped with that.

R26 Shirley MacLaine was offered the lead female role of the mother in The Exorcist but turned it down because her agent told her it wouldn't be a hit.

R26 Alexa Kenin was not offered the role. It was between Denise Nickerson and Linda Blair. Denise’s parents pulled her out of acting at that time. I know because I saw Denise say this. When did Alexa tell you she was offered the role? Was it over coffee? Maybe lunch?

Alex Kenin's cause of death was never made public?

Denise with some of the cast on Dark Shadows.

I don't know how Denise went from being a pretty little girl to an unattractive, scrawny adult.

It’s called aging dumbass

Fuck you, R31. I think I read it in an interview she gave once.

Bitch much?

She was depressed about a stroke and ODd on her meds. Suicide

R37 you read it? You really read it? Well you’re even dumber than I thought. Nobody really ever heard of the bitch. You’re a dumbass and a victim of fake news.

R37 you “think” you read it in an interview? You don’t even know?’ What a dumbass. I bet you still believe in Santa Clause.

Her son and daughter-in-law seem like great people. Their Facebook page documents her decline—she developed dementia-like cognitive issues after the stroke and had behavioral problems that made caring for her a struggle.

Should I tip that damn lamp over just for the hell of it?

They should have Oompa Loompas as pallbearers.

Denise with the iconic Joan Bennett on Dark Shadows.

I'm a year older than Denise. Reality is really peeking its head out.

[quote]I bet you still believe in Santa Clause.

Oh, dear!

They set up a GoFundMe for her cremation. Doesn't anyone have any dignity anymore ?

I met her a few years ago — very nice woman. Really interesting to hear her memories of “Lolita, My Love”; she said that she was grateful for the opportunity to work with some amazing talents, but that she never felt comfortable in the role and it was “the worst experience of my career”. She added that a fan had sent her a copy of the bootleg album and it brought back all kinds of ambivalent memories.

Also got to chat a bit about “Smile” — a great experience for her. Although she hadn’t much dance experience, she was was appointed Dance Captain among the girls. She said the girls all bonded and added, “Everyone loved Annette O’Toole!”

Rest In Peace, Denise.

[quote] What a dumbass. I bet you still believe in Santa Clause.

Oh, [italic]dear.[/italic]

We, here on DL, love Annette O'Toole as well, r48. We are feverishly working to get her a Kennedy Centers honor.

She passed away this morning after being taken off the life support. This is so sad.

She was horrible as the fat girl Peter wouldn't date in the Brady Bunch.

I'm now imagining a world in which Violet Beauregarde and Regan from The Exorcist were played by the same girl. And it's disturbing.

She's gone. Rest In Peace.

[R21] you’re a butthole. Denise Nickerson was one of the most popular child stars of the early 70’s. You just suck.

Sorry, but for those of us who had more eclectic tastes than soap operas and the Electric Company, we have no idea who she was. I was a child growing up in the 1970s. She wasn't a Brady, she wasn't a Partridge and she wasn't a main character on Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes or Facts of Life, so normal people wouldn't have known her.

r29 It's a dirty habit.

R55 you are not normal. You’re an idiot butthole. I hope a bunch of guys mug you and beat you up. Then I hope they hit you over the head with a lead pipe giving you a concussion and you have to go to the hospital. I hope the doctors make a mistake and think you’re an organ donor and remove one of your kidneys and you get the AIDS from a blood transfusion. So there! You big dummy!

You think your rant is normal R57?

R58 at least I have a sense of humor.

"She passed away this morning after being taken off the life support"

Um, no. She DIED after being taken off life support. She DEAD now.

There is nothing funny about your juvenile rant R59.

[quote] It's a dirty habit.

I know a worse one.

Her bio says she worked in accounting and medical billing after she quit acting, but I wonder how she ended up with no insurance and wearing dentures.

Not judging—just seems like there's another story there. According to a website about former child stars, she also worked at a pawn shop at one point.

Here's an interview from what looks like the '80s or early '90s where she still looks like her younger self.

"Not judging—just seems like there's another story there"

Yeah, it's called poverty. The anorexia didn't help either.