‘Willy Wonka’ star Denise Nickerson in critical condition after stroke

Denise Nickerson is an actress who is well known for her role on Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Last month, the star suffered a stroke.

According to Facebook posts by her family, she’s in ICU and is in critical condition. On Wednesday she had another procedure.

Denise Nickerson, 61, played Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Her family revealed that she suffered a stroke in late June.

Nickerson’s family shared updates on her health on a Facebook page titled ‘Support for Jasmine and Josh Nickerson.’ Josh is the star’s son from her second marriage to Mark Willard and Jasmine is his wife.

For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. On Tuesday, a post on the page said Nickerson successfully had a pacemaker put in.

She was expected to receive a stomach feeding tube on Wednesday. The family has also called for donations to aid in her medical expenses.

‘Good evening everyone, I'm sure everyone has seen that the news about Denise has hit the news cycle by now. They were alerted by fans and shared to raise awareness.’

Jasmine Nickerson, Facebook, July 11, 2018

The page has also offered autographed items for money so they could stay by her side. Sources close to the family say the actress is a fighter.

In addition to her Wonka fame, Nickerson also appeared in a 1974 episode of The Brady Bunch and was a regular in the series Dark Shadows and The Electric Company. So far, the family has raised over $2,400.

In 1971, Nickerson rose to fame in the adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic as the bad-mannered Beauregarde. Her character on the film morphs into a human blueberry after chewing a special gum containing a three-course meal.

The actress retired from acting in the late 1970s after appearing in a pair of soap operas which were Dark Shadows and Search for Tomorrow.