Wizard of Oz‘s Flowerpot Munchkin Dies at 89
Margaret Pellegrini, best known as the Flowerpot Munchkin in the original Wizard of Oz has passed away due to complications from a stroke at the age of 89.
Margaret Pellegrini close friend Bunny McCloud confirmed to TODAY.com. Pellegrini spent her later years living in Glendale, Ariz., and attending “Wizard of Oz”-themed events and festivals. She was a regular at the Oztoberfest held each year at the Oz Museum in Wamego, Kan.
McCloud, who works at the museum, said:
“She has been to Oztoberfest for nine of the 10 years we’ve held it.”
“We would usually do the ‘Wizard of Oz’ play during the festival, and during the munchkin parts, she’d get up on stage and sing and dance. It’s so hard to lose someone you love, and everyone loved Margaret dearly.”
Pellegrini, who would have turned 90 in September, was only 16 years old when she acted alongside Judy Garland in the 1939 film.
In March 2013, during promotions for “Oz,” she told a Glendale news station that she was paid $50 a week for her work in the movie. While that was a substantial salary at the time, it was still less than the film’s canine star, Toto.
The Flowerpot Munchkin aka Margaret Pellegrini said:
“He got paid more than I did!”
“He got $125 a week and I only got $50!”
