Felix Silla, Cousin Itt on TV’s ‘Addams Family,’ dies at 84

LOS ANGELES — Felix Silla, who starred as the hairy Cousin Itt on “The Addams Family” and a robot on “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” has died. He was 84.

Silla’s representative, Bonnie Vent, said in an emailed statement Saturday that the actor died Friday after a battle with cancer. Vent said Silla was a humble and nice man who was full of stories.

“He had so many stories, from starting out in the circus, to so many classic television shows either doing stunts or playing a character,” Vent said.

Even though his face was covered, Silla — who stood less than 4 feet tall — became famous for sporting a floor-length hairpiece, sunglasses and a bowler hat as Cousin Itt on the 1960s ABC show “The Addams Family.” His fan-favorite character had a knack for mumbling words that were only understood by Addams family members.

Silla’s face went unseen in a couple other roles, including his portrayal of the robot Twiki on the late 1970s NBC series “Buck Rogers,” and the 1983 film “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi,” where he played an Ewok who rode a hang glider.

“Felix knew a lot about making characters come to life with no dialog,” Vent said.

In the 1975 film “The Black Bird,” viewers had a chance to see Silla’s face. He appeared as a villain named Litvak, who went against George Segal’s Sam Spade Jr. in the “The Maltese Falcon” sequel.

Silla appeared in other films such as “Spaceballs,” “The Golden Child” and “Poltergeist.” He played his final role in the 2016 film “Characterz.”

Silla was born in Italy before he came to the United States in 1955. He toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where he was a bareback rider, trapeze artist and tumbler. He stayed in Hollywood to become a stuntman in 1962.

Silla is survived by his wife Sue and daughter Bonnie. His son, Michael, died at the age of 45 last year.

SACRAMENTO — The man accused of going on a shooting rampage at a Southern California business, killing four people, should not have been allowed to buy or own guns because of a California law that prohibits people from purchasing weapons for 10 years after being convicted of a crime.

Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez was convicted of battery in 2015, which should have kept him from possessing or buying guns or ammo at stores that conduct background checks. While it’s unclear how Gaxiola, 44, acquired the weapons used in the March 31 shooting, the tragedy raises concerns over California’s ability to enforce strict gun control laws, the Sacramento Bee reported on Friday,

Police say Gaxiola had targeted Unified Homes, the mobile home brokerage company in Orange, and had personal and business relationships with the victims. His estranged wife had worked in the business for more than 10 years as a broker assistant.

The shooting occurred nearly six years after Gaxiola pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery, which should have put him on the list prohibiting him from owning firearms for the next 10 years. The list is used during the state’s gun and ammunition background check process.

Two weeks after the mass shooting, police learned Gaxiola was not on the “Prohibited Persons List,” though he might still have been blocked from buying a gun during a standard background check, Orange Police Lt. Jennifer Amat said.

Detectives were still working on tracing the Glock semi-automatic handgun and ammunition, she said.

FRESNO — Authorities were searching Saturday for two farmworkers who opened fire at a Fresno County vineyard, killing one man and wounding two others.

The victims and suspects were pruning grape vines at a vineyard northwest of Huron Friday morning when an argument broke out among the workers and two men fired gunshots, Fresno County Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said.

The suspects fled in a car, he said. An unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene, Botti said, while two others were taken to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

The suspects’ motives were under investigation.

OAKLAND — Investigators are trying to determine if a suspicious fire that killed a girl and her father early Saturday is connected to a fatal shooting in a grocery store a week ago, the Oakland Police Department said in a statement.

Authorities have not released the identities of the 37-year-old father and his daughter, who was going to turn two in May, the East Bay Times reported. The deaths in Oakland are being investigated as homicides, the newspaper reported.

The fire started while the family was asleep at 12:14 a.m. at the home. Other family members escaped, but the girl and her dad were found dead inside by firefighters, the police department said in a statement.