Denise Nickerson has sadly passed away aged 62. The star, who was best known for her role as Violet Beauregarde in the hit film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, suffered a stroke back in June 2018, and was taken to hospital earlier this week due to a medical emergency. According to TMZ, her family confirmed the tragic news that she died on Wednesday night after being taken off life support. They added: "Several visitors came by her room to share memories and say their final goodbyes."
Denise played Violet in Willy Wonka
Her son and daughter-in-law, Joshua and Jasmine, have now created a GoFundMe page for financial help to have her ashes turned into glass artwork. The page read: "Denise got into her medicines and took as much as she could. Josh stopped her and rushed her to the ER. At some point during this event, she aspirated, and caught pneumonia. She was stabilised and kept for observation. However, she then suffered a massive seizure and paired with the weakness from the stroke and issues she had from that, and the pneumonia caused her to stop exhaling carbon dioxide from her body."
Denise was taken off life support on Monday
They concluded: "At 3am (07/10/19) we decided because the machines and medicines are not helping her but only making her more uncomfortable, that it's okay to stop administering these things to her. We are heartbroken and reliving a grief we've lived every single day since she had the stroke over a year ago." As well as Willy Wonka, Denise was also known for her roles on Sesame Street and Dark Shadows before retiring from acting aged 21. She was married twice, firstly to Rick Keller, who tragically died from a brain aneurysm two years after they died the knot, and to Mark Willard, with whom she shares a son, Josh.