'Addams Family' actor Felix Silla passes away at 84

American actor Felix Silla, widely known for playing the mysterious and hairy Cousin Itt on 'The Addams Family', has passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 84 when he breathed his last.

Gil Gerard, Felix's co-star on the old NBC series 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' broke the news on Twitter on Friday afternoon (local time).

Gil said he was sad to see his friend lose his cancer battle, but on the other hand, was glad to know that Felix is no longer suffering.

He tweeted, "Felix died just a few hours ago and the only good I can draw from his passing is that he didn't suffer any longer. I will miss him terribly, especially the great time we had at our panels. Just him telling me to, go ' f ' myself".

Felix Silla was an Italian-born American film and television actor and stuntman, known for his recurring role as the costumed character of 'Cousin Itt' on the 1960s sitcom 'The Addams Family', with the voice provided by Anthony Magro.

In the drama, he dressed in sunglasses, a bowler hat and a hairpiece covering his entire body. The audience never understood what he was saying, but members of the Addams Family did.

TMZ reported, although Felix did not get much screen time and face recognition as Buck Rogers' robot sidekick Twiki, or as a hang-gliding Ewok in 'Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi', but he is famous among youngsters for his appearance of barely 4-foot height and about 70 pounds weight.

Felix did have one famous role where he showed his face in 1975. He shaved his head to play the villainous Litvak in 'The Maltese Falcon' sequel 'The Black Bird'.

Born and raised in Italy, Felix moved to the United States way back in 1955 and toured around with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, working for several years as a tumbler and trapeze artist before landing in Hollywood in 1962 as a stuntman.

As per TMZ, Felix did stunt work on 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial', 'Batman Returns', and 'Poltergeist', among other films and also appeared in the OG 'Planet of the Apes' and 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'.

( With inputs from ANI )