Actor Tony Todd, known for his roles in the horror film “Candyman” and its 2021 sequel, died on Wednesday, his representative, Jeffrey Goldberg, told CBS News. He was 69.
“Regretfully, I can confirm that my friend and client of over 30 years, Tony Todd, has passed away on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 11:50 p.m. peacefully at his home in Marina Del Rey,” said Goldberg. “I am lucky to have been able to work with this amazing man and I will miss him every single day.”
Todd’s cause of death was not disclosed.
For four decades, Todd’s roles spanned genres, with film credits that started in 1986, per IMDB. They range from his role in the Academy Award-winning film “Platoon” to “Final Destination.”
Todd is perhaps best known for playing Daniel Robitaille in the 1992 film “Candyman” and its 2021 sequel. Todd’s character was the ghost of a Black artist and the son of a slave who was killed for his relationship with a White woman. The film also starred Virginia Madsen as a graduate student in Chicago who was preparing a thesis on the legend of Candyman.
Todd reprised his role in 2021 in the sequel, which starred Yahya Abdul-Mateen as an artist who gets drawn into the Candyman legend.
Madsen wrote a tribute post to Todd on Instagram, saying, “The great actor Tony Todd has left us and now is an angel. As he was in life. More later but I can’t right now. I love you.”
New Line Cinema, which produced the “Final Destination” franchise, also posted on Instagram about Todd’s death.
“The industry has lost a legend. We have lost a cherished friend. Rest in peace, Tony,” read the post.
Todd was born on Dec. 4, 1954, in Washington, D.C. He pursued acting at the Eugene O’Neill National Theatre Institute and Trinity Repertory Conservatory, according to Deadline.
He went on to guest star in popular TV shows and sitcoms from the 1980s and 1990s including “Night Court,” “Matlock” and “Law & Order.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Todd is survived by his wife, Fatima, and two children.
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