‘Clerks’ actress Lisa Spoonauer dies at 44

Lisa Spoonauer, who played Caitlin Bree in the 1994 film "Clerks," has died, the film's director Kevin Smith said Tuesday. She was 44.
"Devastated to report that #LisaSpoonauer, who played Caitlin in #clerks, has passed away," Smith wrote. "In 1992, I went looking for Lisa without knowing either who she was or the integral role she'd play in my life."
Smith went on to recall how, after a night of open auditions, he failed to find the "perfect Caitlin Bree," so he dropped in at an acting class at Brookdale Community College to scout for talent.
Also Read:Roger Moore, Star of 7 James Bond Movies, Dies at 89
"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," Smith recalled. "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.'"
Celebrities we lost in 2016:
Glenn Frey (67): Nov. 6, 1948 - Jan. 18, 2016
(Photo by George Pimentel/Getty Images)
George Michael
(Photo by MJ Kim/Getty Images)
Merle Haggard
(Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images)
Carrie Fisher
(Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
Natalie Cole (65): Feb. 6, 1950 - Dec. 31, 2015
(Photo by Bennett Raglin/WireImage)
Pat Harrington Jr. (76): Aug. 13, 1929 - Jan. 6, 2016
(Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
Zsa Zsa Gabor
(Credit: Betty Galella via Getty Images)
Michael Galeota (31): Aug. 28, 1984 - Jan. 10, 2016
(Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)
David Bowie (69): Jan. 8, 1947 - Jan. 10, 2016
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage)
Alan Rickman (69): Feb. 21, 1946 - Jan. 14, 2016
(Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Qatar Goodwood Festival)
Dan Haggarty (74): Nov. 19, 1941 - Jan. 15, 2016
(Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Tommy Kelly (90): April 6, 1925 - Jan. 26, 2016
(Photo by FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Abe Vigoda (94): Feb. 24, 1921 - Jan. 26, 2016
(Photo by Paul Zimmerman/WireImage)
Joe Alaskey (63): April 17, 1952 - Feb. 3, 2016
(Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage for The Lippin Group)
Maurice White (74): Dec. 19, 1941 - Feb. 4, 2016
(Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)
Vanity (57): Jan. 4, 1959 - Feb. 15, 2016
(Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)
George Gaynes (98): May 3, 1917 - Feb. 15, 2016
Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank
Angela "Big Ang" Raiola (55): June 30, 1960 - Feb. 18, 2016
(Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Harper Lee (89): April 28, 1926 - Feb. 19, 2016
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Lee Reherman (49): July 4, 1966 - Feb. 29, 2016
(Photo by Allen Berezovsky/WireImage)
Bud Collins (86): June 17, 1929 - March 4, 2016
(Photo by Uri Schanker/WireImage)
Joey Feek (40): Sept. 9, 1975 - March 4, 2016
(Photo by Frederick Breedon IV/WireImage)
Nancy Reagan (94): July 6, 1921 - March 6, 2016
(Photo by Michael Kovac/FilmMagic)
Sir George Martin (90): Jan. 3, 1926 - March 8, 2016
(Photo by Steven Lawton/FilmMagic)
Garry Shandling (66): Nov. 29, 1949 - March 24, 2016
(Photo by Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic)
Patty Duke (69): Dec. 14, 1946 - March 29, 2016
(Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images)
Daisy Lewellyn (36): Jan. 15, 1980 - April 8, 2016
(Photo by Steve Mack/FilmMagic)
David Gest (62): May 11, 1953 - April 12, 2016
PHOTOGRAPH BY Laurentiu Garofeanu/ Barcroft USA /Barcoft Media via Getty Images
Doris Roberts (90): Nov. 4, 1925 - April 17, 2016
(Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
Joanie "Chyna" Laurer (46): Dec. 27, 1969 - April 20, 2016
(Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Prince (57): June 7, 1958 - April 21, 2016
(Photo by ©2007 Phil Ramey/RameyPix/Corbis via Getty Images)
Rickey Smith (36): May 10, 1979 - May 5, 2016
(Photo by Chris Polk/FilmMagic)
William Schallert (93): July 6, 1922 - May 8, 2016
(Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images)
Tonita Castro (63): 1953 - May 8, 2016
(Photo by FOX via Getty Images)
Morley Safer (84): Nov. 8, 1931 - May 19, 2016
(Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic)
Janet Waldo (96): Feb. 4, 1920 - June 12, 2016
(Photo by John Heller/WireImage)
Muhammad Ali (74): Jan. 17, 1941 - June 3, 2016
(Photo by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)
Theresa Saldana (61): Aug. 20, 1954 - June 6, 2016
(Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd/WireImage)
Ronnie Claire Edwards (83): Feb. 9, 1933 - June 14, 2016
(Photo by Jack Mitchell/Getty Images)
Anton Yelchin (27): March 11, 1989 - June 19, 2016
(Photo by Victor Chavez/WireImage)
Noel Neill (95): Nov. 25, 1920 - July 3, 2016
(Photo by John M. Heller/Getty Images)
Bill Cunningham (87): March 13, 1929 - June 25, 2016
(Photo by CLINT SPAULDING/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Teddy Rooney (66): April 13, 1950 - July 2, 2016
(Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)
Garry Marshall (81): Nov. 13, 1934 - July 19, 2016
(Photo by Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic)
Gene Wilder (83): June 11, 1933 - Aug. 29, 2016
Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank
Rene Angelil (73): Jan. 16, 1942 - Jan. 14, 2016
(Photo credit should read JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)
Alexis Arquette (47): July 28, 1969 - Sept. 11, 2016
(Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
Robert Vaughn (83): Nov. 22, 1932 - Nov. 11, 2016
(Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
Gwen Ifill (61): Sept. 29, 1955 - Nov. 14, 2016
(Photo by Andrew Toth/FilmMagic)
Florence Henderson (82): Feb. 14, 1934 - Nov. 24, 2016
(Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
Alan Thicke (69): March 1, 1947 - Dec. 13, 2016
(Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images)
See Gallery
Smith went on to say that Spooauer "quickly became one of the mot important people I'd ever meet."
Spoonauer later married her "Clerks" co-star Jeff Anderson. They were married for a year, from 1998 to 1999.
Also Read:Dina Merrill, Heiress Turned Actress Who Grew Up in Trump's Future Mar-a-Lago Estate, Dies at 93
In addition to her role in "Clerks," Spoonauer appeared in the Gabe Torres film "Bartender," and reprised her Caitlin character for a voice role in an episode of the animated TV series "Clerks."
A post shared by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on
Smith concluded his tribute, "Thank you for dreaming my dream with me. You changed my life, Lisa."
Read original story 'Clerks' Actress Lisa Spoonauer Dies at 44 At TheWrap