https://archive.triblive.com/aande/movies-tv/last-oz-munchkin-lollipop-guild-member-dead-at-98/
Last 'Oz' munchkin — lollipop guild member — dead at 98
Nick Ut/AP
Jerry Maren, seen here in 2013, displays his hands after placing them into cement during a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of 'The Wizard of Oz' at the TLC Chinese Theatre.
It's official: The entire cast of munchkins from the classic 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz" is gone.
TMZ reports that Jerry Maren, the film's last surviving munchkin cast member, died a week ago at age 98 at a nursing care facility in San Diego. His cause of death is unknown, but TMZ is reporting Maren suffered from dementia.
Born Gerard Marenghi on Jan. 20, 1920, Maren was 18 when he filmed his iconic role.
In "Oz," Maren was one of the three members of the Lollipop Guild. He was the one in the middle wearing a checkered green shirt who gifted Dorothy with the ceremonial lollipop.
After "Oz," Maren appeared in several other movies — from the Marx Brothers' movie "At The Circus" to "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" in 1973.
TMZ reports Maren's funeral was held over the weekend at Hollywood's Forest Lawn.
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