Lola Wasserstein, 89; inspired her playwright daughter Wendy

Lola Wasserstein, 89, an inspiration for many of the characters in the works of her daughter, playwright Wendy Wasserstein, died of natural causes Saturday at her Manhattan apartment, her family said.

Lola Wasserstein was a model for the “Isn’t It Romantic” character Tasha Blumberg, an untraditional Jewish mother who takes dance classes and wears skirts over black leotards.

She also inspired the mother character in “The Sisters Rosensweig” as well as the mother of character Holly Kaplan in “Uncommon Women and Others,” who urges her daughter to find a boyfriend.

Wendy Wasserstein died of cancer last year at age 55.

Born Lola Schleiffer in Poland, Wasserstein came to the United States in 1931. She was married to Morris Wasserstein, an inventor and businessman who died in 2003.