Tony Todd, star of the “Candyman” film series and decades of other film and television roles, dies at 69

Actor Tony Todd, known for his roles in the 2021 horror film “Candyman” and its sequel, died on Wednesday, his representative Jeffrey Goldberg told CBS News. He was 69.

“Sadly, I can confirm that my friend and client of over 30 years, Tony Todd, passed away peacefully at his home in Marina Del Rey on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 11:50 p.m.,” Goldberg said. “I am fortunate to work with this great man and I will miss him every day.”

Todd’s cause of death has not been revealed.

For four decades, Todd’s roles spanned genres, with film appearances beginning in 1986, according to IMDB. They range from his role in the Oscar-winning film “Platoon” to “Final Destination.”

Todd is perhaps best known for his role as 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 because of his relationship with a white woman. The film also starred Virginia Madsen as a graduate student in Chicago preparing a thesis on the legend of Candyman.

Todd reprized his role in 2021 in the sequel, in which Yahya Abdul-Mateen plays an artist who gets drawn into the Candyman legend.

Madsen posted a tribute to Todd on Instagram, writing: “The great actor Tony Todd has left us and is now an angel. Just like he was in life. More later, but I can’t 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 valued friend. Rest in peace, Tony,” the post reads.

Todd was born on December 4, 1954 in Washington, D.C. According to Deadline, he studied acting at the Eugene O’Neill National Theater Institute and Trinity Repertory Conservatory.

In the 1980s and 1990s, he guest starred on popular TV shows and sitcoms, including “Night Court,” “Matlock” and “Law & Order.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Todd is survived by his wife Fatima and two children.