Betty Ann Bruno, one of the last surviving munchkins from The Wizard of Oz, has died. She was 91.
Her husband, Craig Sheiner, confirmed her death in a Facebook post, writing: “I am so sorry to have to tell you Betty Ann’s heart left us today.”
“We were at the kanikapila in Sonoma and she had just finished dancing Pua Mana. She developed a sudden, splitting head ache and I drove her to Emergency. She made it to the from desk and collapsed on the floor with a massive heart attack.”
Although she was born in Wahiawa, Hawai’i, Bruno grew up in Hollywood, California.
Prior to her role as a Munchkin in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz, she had an uncredited role in John Ford’s 1937 film The Hurricane.
When she was seven, she was cast with a dozen other children of about average height opposite more than 100 adult little people to play the citizens of Munchkinland.
Bruno, who went on to become a successful political talk show producer and host before becoming an investigative reporter for KTVU, was one of a few surviving Munchkins from the 1939 classic.
In 2018 when Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin played by a little person, the media dubbed him the “last living Munchkin,” but Bruno spoke up, saying: “Wait a minute, I’m a munchkin and I’m still alive!”