‘Willy Wonka’ Star Taken Off Life Support

She was one of the child stars of the imaginative film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, winning audiences over with her perfect performance as the gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde.

Violet was the little girl who was turned into a large blueberry after eating the not-quite-perfected three-course dinner gum. Watch that iconic scene below.

Denise Nickerson played Violet in 1971, and continued to act for a few more years. She appeared in The Electric Company, Dark Shadows, and on an episode of The Brady Bunch.

It was reported that Nickerson’s family took her off life support on Wednesday (July 10). According to TMZ, Nickerson was rushed to the ER on Monday after her family discovered that she had attempted to take as much of her medicine at home as she could.

She was diagnosed with pneumonia and on Tuesday, suffered a seizure and was put on life support. Her family told TMZ that her condition has continued to worsen, so they have decided to take her off life support.

Her only son Josh and his wife Jasmine are by her bedside, and have begun to say goodbye, according to a GoFundMe page they set up. According to the page, Nickerson suffered a stroke about a year ago and hasn’t fully recovered since. Jasmine quit her job to become her full-time caretaker, so the couple has asked for help for end of life expenses.

It is Nickerson’s wish to be cremated and her ashes be made into a piece of glass art, so instead of flowers or cards, they are asking for monetary assistance to fulfill her last wish. If you’d like to help out the Nickerson family, you can do so by clicking here.

“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,” Josh and Jasmine wrote.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh and Jasmine, and anyone who knew Denise.