The Los Angeles Times reports that Ruth Robinson Duccini, the last surviving female Munchkin from The Wizard Of Oz, has died at the age of 95. Duccini appeared in the 1939 film as part of a 124-strong troupe of diminutive actors, though she had no lines and received no official credit. But in the years since, as that group inevitably dwindled, Duccini became one of the last living links to the beloved movie, and she was often called upon to turn up at Oz promotional events like the one in 2007, when she appeared alongside her fellow surviving Munchkins to receive their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her other appearances included cameos on The Daily Show and in the Chevy Chase comedy Under The Rainbow, always in her Munchkin role. Off screen, she worked on airplanes as a WWII-era “Rosie The Riveter” and lived most of her life in Las Vegas, where she died today after a brief illness. Duccini’s death leaves just one living Munchkin left: Lollipop Guild member Jerry Maren, who is 93.
[Image via Stephen Cox/The Munchkins Of Oz]