Wizard of Oz` munchkin Margaret Pellegrini dies

Los Angeles: 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. PTI