Elaine Merk Binder dead: One of the last surviving stars of The Wizard of Oz dies at 94

Elaine Merk Binder, who was amongst the final surviving munchkins from the beloved film The Wizard of Oz,has passed away aged 94.

The heartbreaking news was confirmed by her daughter Annette Phillips to TMZ, though no cause of death was revealed.

Binder successfully auditioned for the movie in 1938 and was chosen as one of eight children who would perform dance and vocal numbers as part of the Munchkin cast.

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The classic film featured Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale and Frank Morgan as the Wizard of Oz.

Reflecting on her audition experience, Binder had previously recalled: "I tried out for the 'Wizard of Oz' Munchkins. For me it was scary. It was my first big call for girls from a major studio", reports the Mirror US.

"I was relieved when Bud told the dance director, 'She's O.K.' I did not have to perform like the others did. And they selected me as one of the eight who would both dance and sing. We learned later that they had added girls to the Little People because they had the mistaken impression that the Little People were not athletic."

She was merely eight years old when she shot her scenes on the MGM studios in Culver City, California.

In the sequence featuring the song 'Come Out, Come Out,' Binder was positioned in the second small house ascending the stairs.

Moments before the ensemble launches into "Off to See the Wizard," Binder appears as one of eight performers in a pavilion at the back, donning a dark green frock and matching hat.

Binder leaves behind her son, George, daughter Annette, and six grandchildren.

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