TV star's parents found dead just days before Christmas
Image: Twitter
Orange Is The New Black star Alicia Witt has revealed both her parents were found dead during a welfare check at their home in a "surreal" tragedy just a short time before Christmas.
Witt, 46, announced the news via a statement, saying she had asked a cousin nearby to check on her mother Dianne, 75, and father Robert, 75, at their property in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Officers later found the couple deceased on December 20 with no obvious causes of death, according to local newspaper Telegram & Gazette.
"I reached out to a cousin who lives close to my parents to check on them. Sadly, the outcome was unimaginable," Witt said.
"I ask for some privacy at this time to grieve and to wrap my head around this turn of events, and this surreal loss."
There had been reports the couple had been experiencing furnace problems and were using a space heater, however firefighters did not find any evidence of carbon monoxide in the home.
"There was no trauma," Lieutenant Sean Murtha said in a statement.
The actress has previously paid tribute to her parents via gushing social media posts, describing her father as "wise and hilarious" in a Father's Day post earlier this year.
Witt also spoke warmly of her mother Dianne in a Mother's Day post in 2018.
"#HappyMothersDay to all the mothers of this world," Witt shared on Instagram, alongside photos of her mum.
Witt made her acting debut in the 1984 movie Dune and has appeared in television shows including The Walking Dead, Orange is the New Black and Twin Peaks. She is also a singer and pianist and released an album, The Conduit, in September.