What Happened To Lisa Spoonauer? Kevin Smith Shares Heartwarming Message As 'Clerks' Actress Dies At 44
"Clerks" actress Lisa Spoonauer died on Saturday at age 44 at her home in Jackson Township, New Jersey. The report of her death was made public Tuesday but her cause of death has not been revealed.
According to an obituary posted on the Hassler Funeral Home's website, Spoonauer is survived by her husband Tom Caron, daughter Mia Spoonauer, stepson Tyler Caron, her mother Dolores Spoonauer, twin brothers Michael and Mark Spoonauer as well as her grandfather Frank Figurelli.
"Lisa was a devoted mother and loving wife, and she was known for her strength, selflessness and faith. Early on, Lisa worked as an actress, and she went on to become a restaurant manager and event planner," the obituary reads. "Lisa loved spending time with family and friends, helping anyone she could and laughing as much as she made other people laugh."
Spoonauer's funeral will take place Saturday and her family invited her close friends for a visit Friday.
Spoonauer, who had a brief acting career, was discovered by Kevin Smith when he was casting for the movie "Clerks" in the early 1990s. Smith wrote a heart-warming message Tuesday on his Instagram account, remembering Spoonauer.
Devastated to report that #LisaSpoonauer, who played Caitlin in #clerks, has passed away. In 1992, I went looking for Lisa without knowing either who she was or the integral role she'd play in my life. I'd held a night of open auditions at the #firstavenueplayhouse(where we found @briancohalloran and @marilynghigliotti) but the perfect Caitlin Bree never walked through the door. So I popped into an acting class at Brookdale Community College and watched the students from the back. Lisa was easily the most natural and authentic voice in the room. She didn't sound like she was acting at all; she delivered scripted dialogue as if she was inventing her conversation in the moment, like people do in real life. Captivated, I approached Lisa cold in the parking lot after the class and said "This is gonna sound creepy but... Do you wanna be in a movie?" Fearlessly, she replied "Not if it's porn." I told her a bit about Clerks and gave her a copy of the script and my phone number. She called me a few days later and said "Well it's not porn, but everybody talks like it is. It's funny. I'll do it." A complete stranger at first, Lisa quickly became one of the most important people I'd ever meet when she joined Brian, #JeffAnderson, Marilyn, @jaymewes, @samosier, @davidkleinasc and me as one of the chief architects of my first film. We rehearsed for a month straight in the store after hours, where Lisa perfected Caitlin (and fell in love with Jeff). The first night of the shoot, Lisa had to maneuver her way through a seven minute scene with Brian in the video store, when Caitlin finally shows up in the movie. Lisa and Brian CRUSHED it in one long take that still remains one of my favorite scenes I've ever shot - not because it shows off any directorial flare (it doesn't) but because it exemplified how great the performers were since we never had to cut away from their 2-shot. But as strong an actress as she was, Lisa was an even more excellent Mother to her daughter Mia. Whenever we'd Facebook later in life, she'd gush about her baby girl proudly. My heart goes out to Tom, Mia and Lisa's family. Thank you for dreaming my dream with me. You changed my life, Lisa.
Other co-stars and friends of Spoonauer also flooded social media with tributes.
"I'm truly gutted by this news. I've learned that on Saturday Lisa Spoonauer passed away. My deepest condolences and prayers to her husband Tom and his family. She always had a wicked sense of humor and smile. I was blessed to have been part of an incredible life changing adventure with her. To this day it is a part of my life. Not a day goes by that she was mentioned or remembered in some fashion. She will live on in my heart and in the hearts of millions. Always in my heart. Rest in Peace Lisa. #RIPLisaSpoonauer," Brian O'Halloran wrote on Facebook along with a photo of Spoonauer.
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