The Heartbreaking Death Of Alicia Witt's Parents

Alicia Witt is dealing with an unimaginable loss. After not being able to reach her parents, Robert and Diane Witt, for "several days," the actress and musician asked a relative to check in on them at their Worcester, Massachusetts, residence. 

"I reached out to a cousin who lives close to my parents to check on them," Alicia said in a statement (per the New York Post). "Sadly, the outcome was unimaginable."

The Witts were reportedly longtime residents of Worcester and both worked as high school teachers before they retired. Alicia has posted loving tributes to both of them on her Instagram page, calling her father "the wise and hilarious and always curious one, the greatest teacher."

While the police have said that the deaths do not appear suspicious, the cause of death is not yet known. "There was no trauma," said Lt. Sean Murtha of the Worcester Police Department, according to the Telegram & Gazette. 

And, although Witt's parents were reportedly having issues with their furnace and using a space heater recently, the police explained that "there were no signs of carbon monoxide" inside the home.

A neighbor, however, revealed that the couple were rarely seen outside and seemed to be sick for a while. The neighbor also said that other residents on the block "had offered them help as their home fell into disrepair, but they politely refused. One neighbor had been mowing the lawn and clearing snow from the property for a few years."

After her parents were found dead in their Massachusetts home, Alicia Witt has requested some space to mourn. "I ask for some privacy at this time to grieve and to wrap my head around this turn of events, and this surreal loss," said the actress and musician in a statement (per the New York Post). 

The news comes as Witt has been busy promoting her latest album, "The Conduit," as well as her new book about going vegan, "Small Changes: A Rules-Free Guide to Add More Plant-Based Foods, Peace, and Power to Your Life." 

"I've always enjoyed talking to people about the myriad of little tips I've learned over the years through my travels and talking to people in small towns throughout the US," Witt told CNN. "I want to help reach people, in particular, who have no intention of ever being vegan or even changing the lifestyle that they have all that drastically."

She got her start in entertainment at age 5 when she was discovered by director David Lynch, who cast her in his iconic 1984 film "Dune" and then in the seminal TV series "Twin Peaks." Per IMDb, Witt has also been featured in such shows as "The Walking Dead," "The Sopranos," "Two and a Half Men," and "Orange Is The New Black" in addition to films like "Urban Legend," "Vanilla Sky," and "Two Weeks Notice."