One of the original Munchkins from the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz" has died. As Arizona Public Radio's Gillian Ferris reports, 89 year old Margaret Pellegrini was a long-time Arizona resident.
Pellegrini died from a stroke this week at her home in Glendale. She landed a role in the classic film at the age of 16 and was cast as one of the "sleepyhead kids" who wore flowerpots on their heads. Pellegrini remained in costume for much of her life, working as a guest speaker at grade schools across Arizona. She told students that the Yellow Brick Road the film's characters traveled on, carried a moral lesson: She said "there are two roads in life that you can take, the wrong road and the right road, and there really is no place like home."
Pellegrini returned to Hollywood in 2007 when the Munchkins of Oz were given their own star on the Walk of Fame. Her death leaves only 2 of the original 124 Munchkins still alive, one of whom is also a long-time Arizonan.