Background
She was born Margaret Williams in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
She was born Margaret Williams in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Until her death in 2013, she was one of the three surviving munchkins, the other two being Jerry Maren and Ruth Robinson Duccini. When she was helping a relative in a potato chip booth at the Tennessee State Fair, a group of little people came by and asked if she wanted to join their show, Henry Kramer"s Midgets. "At that time I didn"t think I was a midget," says Pellegrini (who then stood about 3 ft 4 in (102 m)).
In the film, Pellegrini played a "sleepyhead" flower pot and Munchkin villager.
Through the years, Pellegrini frequently appeared at surviving Munchkins of Oz festivities. She was present on November 21, 2007 when the remaining Munchkins were given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She was also named the Grand Marshal of this year"s annual "Oz-Stravaganza" parade in Chittenango, New York, but health issues prevented her from attending. Near the time of her death, she was described as a widowed great-great grandmother living in Glendale, Arizona, with a room in her house devoted to her treasured Oz collectibles.
She was survived by daughter Margaret, grandchildren William III, Anna, Juliette, Joe, Vincent, and Dawnelle Mowrey.
Great grandchildren are: Anthony, Ashley, Barbara, Cheryl, Dalyn, Elizabeth, Heaven, Kaylee, and Shayla, and one great-great grandchild Sejla,
Pellegrini died on August 7, 2013, in Glendale, Arizona, of complications from a stroke she had 2 days earlier. She was 89. She was cremated and her remains were given to her family.