Tony Todd Remembered by ‘Candyman’ Co-Star Virginia Madsen: “A Gentle Soul With a Deep Knowledge of the Arts”
Candyman star Tony Todd, who died Wednesday after a long illness, is being remembered by his co-star Virginia Madsen.
The Oscar nominee, who played graduate student Helen Lyle who’s stalked by Todd’s titular hook-handed killer while investigating urban legends at a Chicago housing project in the 1992 horror film, paid tribute to Todd with a series of posts on Instagram.
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Madsen initially shared a brief video post after she heard the news of Todd’s death, in which she said she didn’t “know what to say” but called Todd her “beloved.”
“May you rest in power sweet to the sweet in heaven,” Madsen wrote in the caption alongside a video. “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.”
In the video, she shared that she “just found out” but “will say more about my beloved Candyman.”
She later posted a longer caption about Todd, calling him a “truly poetic man” with “a voice that made it easy to swoon.”
“Thanks to [Candyman director] Bernard Rose, we really created a gothic romance,” she wrote. “It’s why the film lives on. A gentle soul with a deep knowledge of the arts.”
Madsen also praised Todd for his interactions with strangers.
“He enjoyed the fans and was never shy when it came to fans approaching, wanting photos,” she wrote. “A rare actor who allowed himself to be open to the public attention.”
She closed by referring back to the movie. “I will miss him so much and hope he haunts me once in a while. But I will not summon him in the mirror!”
After praising Jordan Peele, who co-wrote and produced the 2021 Nia DaCosta-directed sequel, in which she and Todd appeared, Madsen said there were discussions about sharing more of their story.
“He talked about a prequel using technology so that we, ourselves could tell the tale of how their love began,” she wrote. “Imagine that. I do. My dear friend Tony, I do.”
And she shared another Instagram post of her and Todd hugging.
In addition to his roles in the Candyman films, Todd played William Bludworth in three Final Destination movies. His other credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Rock, The Crow, Hatchet, The Man from Earth, Hatchet II, The Flash, Frankenstein, Hell Fest, Requiem, Hellblazers and The Bunker. And he played Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Alpha Hirogen in Star Trek: Voyager.
The original Candyman grossed nearly $26 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo
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