- ‘Addams Family’ star Felix Silla passed away on Friday, April 16 at the age of 84
- He died from pancreatic cancer in Las Vegas
- Silla was often seen under layers of hair as the mysterious Cousin Itt
Felix Silla, the actor known for playing Cousin Itt on The Addams Family has died at the age of 84. Silla’s former co-star Gil Gerard confirmed the news and announced that the cause of death was pancreatic cancer.
While Gerard expressed sadness that his colleague had lost his battle to cancer, he also knew he’d been suffering and was glad to see that pain over. For years, Silla brought a unique brand of humor to the monster sitcom, never fully seen or comprehensively heard, but still one of the most iconic in the cast.
A career in entertainment
Before he was Cousin Itt, Felix Silla was a rising star, born in Italy before moving to the United States, where he toured with the Ringling Brothers, as well as Barnum & Bailey Circus, TMZ writes. He also mastered tumbling and trapeze, which helped him land work as a Hollywood stuntman.
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This placed him as a stuntman for enduring classics like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Batman Returns, Poltergeist, the original Planet of the Apes, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Gradually, he became famous for his 4 foot-tall, 70-pound stature, even when he was a faceless robot sidekick named Twiki opposite Buck Rogers, or an Ewok in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.
Remembering Felix Silla
Felix died just a few hours ago and the only good I can draw from his passing is that he didn’t suffer any longer. I will miss him terribly, especially the great time we had at our panels. Just him telling me to ,” go ‘ f ‘ myself”. 😢
— Gil Gerard (@Gil_Gerard) April 16, 2021
Felix Silla and Gil Gerard acted together in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Their time together kept the two as friends into the present-day, so it was Gerard who updated the world with the sad news that an icon had passed away. First, on April 16, he tweeted, “It is with a heavy heart that I tell you all that my dear friend of over forty years, Felix Silla, is dying of pancreatic cancer. I spoke briefly with him and his family last night and they tell me that he’s going into hospice care today. Prayers.”
Then, sadly, he had to share another update yesterday afternoon reading, “Felix died just a few hours ago and the only good I can draw from his passing is that he didn’t suffer any longer. I will miss him terribly, especially the great time we had at our panels.” Silla became a revered, if unseen, star covered in layers of hair and muttering incomprehensibly – unless the listener was an Addam – as Cousin Itt, complete with a bowler hat and sunglasses. Silla is survived by his wife of 55 years Sue, along with children Bonnie and Michael.