Tony Todd, Acclaimed Actor And ‘Candyman’ Star, Dead At 69
Tony Todd, the compelling actor best known for roles in the original Candyman series and Final Destination franchise, died on Wednesday (Nov. 6) at age 69 in his Los Angeles home. A cause of death was not provided when the tragic news was confirmed by his reps.
Todd was born on December 4, 1954 in Washington, D.C. and pursued acting at the Eugene O’Neill National Actors Theatre Institute and Trinity Rep Conservatory. He made his debut in 1986 as Barrington in Sleepwalk and followed with a role as Sergeant Warren in the Oscar-winning film, Platoon.
Throughout his 40-year career, he amassed over 240 film and TV credits. He guest-starred on hit series’ including 21 Jump Street, Night Court, MacGyver, Matlock, Law & Order, and more. He also had recurring stints on Jake and the Fatman, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Homicide: Life on the Street, 24, The Young and the Restless, and The Flash.
Todd also appeared in the 1989 film Lean On Me before starring in his most notable roles: Ben in the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead, the titular lead in Candyman (1992), and coroner William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise.
Virginia Madsen, who starred alongside Todd in the horror film, paid tribute to her friend and costar on Instagram.
“Tony Todd— A truly poetic man. A voice that made it easy to swoon. Thanks to Bernard Rose, we really created a gothic romance. It’s why the film lives on. A gentle soul with a deep knowledge of the arts. He enjoyed the fans and was never shy when it came to fans approaching, wanting photos. A rare actor who allowed himself to be open to the public attention,” Madsen wrote.
The touching sentiment continued, “Wish I had seen him on the stage. I will miss him so much and hope he haunts me once in a while. But I will not summon him in the mirror! What a gift that Jordan Peele let us live again as lovers. He talked about a prequel using technology so that we, ourselves could tell the tale of how their love began. Imagine that. I do. My dear friend Tony, I do.”
Todd reprised his role in the 2021 Nia DaCosta-directed remake.
Of his dynamic role, he told Deadline in 2022, “You gotta have audience sympathy for the character in some way or another. There’s gotta be something attractive about the character that makes people want to root for them but at the same time feel repulsed by the idea. And for me personally, for every film that I do, I create a backstory for all my tortured people and my heroes alike.”
When he wasn’t dominating the screen, he was an in-demand voice actor with appearances in Call of Duty video games and more.
Per IMDb, Todd recently starred in The Bunker as well as Stream and is set to star in the new Final Destination film, coming in 2025.
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