"The Walking Dead" actress Alicia Witt broke the silence of her parents' sudden death, saying sadly recently that "it doesn't feel real."
Alicia Witt spoke publicly about the loss of her parents, who were found dead at their home in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The actress recently paid her emotional tribute to her parents, Robert, 87, and Diane Witt, 75, on Facebook, saying they were "outstanding educators, very kind, curious, intelligent, young (and) funny." ”
"It still doesn't feel real," she wrote. "Our last words to each other were 'I love you'... They love me so much. I love them so much. ”
Witt described how she became scared after not receiving a response from her parents, so she called someone else to check on them. She "earnestly prayed that the next call would be from them," but when she heard the detective's voice, she learned that her parents had died. ”
Although Witt did not disclose the cause of her parents' deaths, she noted that their "sudden deaths have become media fodder and there have been some misconceptions." ”
"It's very subtle for me to write because I want to respect their privacy, and they cling to that privacy," she continued. "I never thought I'd have to talk about it openly — let alone, in a torrent of grief."
Witt went on to describe how she was barred from her parents' house for more than a decade, refusing to let workers she invited into the house every time she tried to fix something for them.
"I begged, cried, tried to reason with them, tried to convince them to let me help them move — but every time, they lashed out at me and told me I had no right to tell them how to live their lives," she wrote. "It's not because I lacked the ability to try."
She continued: "Despite my help, I'm still struggling and what else can I do... United, intertwined, with indivisible strength, determined to do things their own way. Know that they have each other ..."
The couple was found around 9:15 p.m. after a police health check. According to the National Weather Service, the night before was the coldest night of the month.
"I didn't know their heat had disappeared," Witt wrote. "I can never understand how or why they chose not to tell me and not let me help them. My heart was broken. Even if I could have had a crystal ball and looked to the future – if I could have said to them "if you don't let us help you, you'll end up breaking me and all the hearts that love you" – I still think they would have made the same choice. ”
Witt said she held a "beautiful funeral" for her parents in Worcester earlier this month, where she was able to "mourn and celebrate them in complete privacy."
Neighbors said the couple was somewhat reclusive. They rarely turn on the lights or go out, and there is often no response to knocking. Court records show they don't have cable TV or computers.
Former teacher Robert Witt was diagnosed with cancer and confined to the couple's home on the advice of a doctor because he was at risk of contracting COVID-19, court documents show.
Court documents show that Diane Witte's health problems may have been related to the damage caused to their home by the hail of December 12, 2008. Records show that Diane said she had "serious problems with breathing, sleep, congestion and nosebleeds," as well as "difficulty with her memory (and) communication."
A dispatcher told responders that a relative lent the couple a space heater because their stove had stopped working a week earlier. Officials were also told the couple's "immune system was compromised."
One official said firefighters tested the air quality in their homes and found no toxic gases, but that was when the door was opened after other emergency personnel came in and out, which could have caused any existing gases to dissipate.
Fire Department Deputy Director Adam Roach said space heaters could pose a danger. Heaters that use fossil fuels such as propane must be vented out to prevent the buildup of carbon monoxide, a potentially lethal odorless gas.
A neighbor said the stove had been broken for more than a week, recalling that in 2018, when the heating system failed, the couple rejected a neighbor's offer for repairs.
In a court lawsuit filed in 2011, the couple claimed that Hannover Insurance did not adequately pay for their family's losses, even though documents showed the insurer paid more than $110,000.
However, lawyers in Hanover wrote in 2017, "Apart from some basic repairs, the plaintiffs made no effort to repair or replace the damage to their home and remain in disrepair to this day." ”
Another neighbor spoke of how proud the Wert family was of Alicia, bragging about her accomplishments and looking forward to her visit. Alicia Witt has appeared in movies and TV shows such as The Walking Dead, Twin Peaks, Orange is the New Black, Dune, and The Sopranos.
