Ruth Robinson Duccini, the last female Munchkin and the second to last Munchkin from the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz," died on Thursday at the Solari Hospice Care Center in Las Vegas. Duccini was 95-years-old.
Duccini's death was announced by Stephen Cox, author of "The Munchkins of Oz," who learned the news from Duccini's son, the Associated Press reported. Cox, a friend of Duccini's, said she died from natural causes after a brief illness.
"Ruth was a sweetheart of a lady, feisty, independent, and a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother," Cox said, according to The Times of Northwest Indiana. "She'll be missed greatly."
Duccini was born on July 23, 1918 in Rush City, Minnesota. In 1938, Duccini, who was 4-feet tall, traveled to California with a group of little people to play Munchkins in the MGN classic "The Wizard of Oz," The Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
"It was long hours and heavy costumes," Duccini previously said in a statement about her experience filming the movie, which starred Judy Garland, the AP reported. "We didn't have much time for ourselves. It was all new to me then, and I loved being a part of what is now a classic."
Duccini made several appearances related to her Munchkin role over the years following the movie, including being a repeated guest at the annual Wizard of Oz Festival in Chesterton, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
But Duccini later expressed disapproval for being repeatedly asked to show up in full Munchkin regalia.
"When people hire me for a personal appearance, they can take me as I am or stuff it," Duccini told the Times of Northwest Indiana in an 1996 interview. "I'm not going to wear a costume."
Duccini met and married her husband, who was not a Munchkin, during her time at MGM. Together they had a son and daughter, the AP reported.
There were 124 little people who played the original residents of Munchkinland in "The Wizard of Oz." The last surviving Munchkin is 93-year-old Jerry Maren, who played a member of the Lollipop Guild, the AP reported.
