Denise Nickerson, Who Played Violet in ‘Willy Wonka,’ Taken Off Life Support

A stock photo of an ambulance. OgnjenO/shutterstock

An actress who appeared in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” has reportedly been taken off life support, TMZ reported on July 10.

The report noted that Denise Nickerson, who played Violet in the 1971 classic film, suffered a stroke in 2018.

According to her family, on July 9, Nickerson “got into her meds at home and took as many as she could” while at home, TMZ said. The report didn’t elaborate on what exactly happened.

Her family then took her to the hospital emergency room.

Doctors diagnosed Nickerson with pneumonia before she suffered a massive seizure on July 10. Doctors then placed her on life support, the report noted.

After that, her condition worsened before her family took the actress off her respirator, stopped giving her medicine, and removed her IVs.

Her family started a GoFundMe, which said, “We are Denise’s only immediate family and caretakers. Last year, you may have heard that Denise suffered a severe stroke that caused extreme damage.”

“It’s been a long, hard year, and we have been with her and caring for her everyday since then. Jasmine (her daughter) quit her job to stay at home with her full-time so she didn’t have to live in a nursing home. We gave up over half of our income at that time and have done everything we can to survive,” the page also said.

Elaborating on the incident on Monday, her son, Josh had to stop her from taking all her medication.

Her family stated that things are now looking grim for the actress.

“We don’t know how much time she has. It could be minutes. It could be hours. But no matter what, she’s already gone. We are sitting here with her just trying to keep her comfortable and let her know it’s okay,” the GoFundMe wrote.

The page said that while the actress had “fame and money,” there is no inheritance, life insurance, or a “nest egg.”

“Denise’s wish is to be cremated and her ashes made into a piece of glass art. We will need to urgently pay for these things as well as need help with our home expenses. Rent, bills, groceries. Jasmine is not working due to her caring for Denise and trying to apply for jobs while home sick and pregnant, and Josh is missing work from both jobs to be here in the hospital,” it said.

They added that “we are both sick with worry and now losing Denise. Stress is harming us both and putting our baby in danger too. We hate to ask but we desperately need help. We don’t need flowers and or cards. We just need some peace of mind. It’s 4 am now and we are saying our goodbyes and taking turns. If you can help us, we would be so very grateful.”

According to TMZ, she stopped acting in 1978 and became a nurse. Before that, she appeared in “The Electric Company,” “Dark Shadows,” and “The Brady Bunch.”

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Celebrity comedian Freddie Starr died aged 76 at his home in Spain, according to reports.

The body of the British-born funnyman was reportedly discovered by a caregiver at his apartment in Mijas on the Costa del Sol on May 9, the Mirror reported.

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Correction: Headline and article have been updated to reflect the current condition of Michael Sleggs