Tony Todd, the acclaimed actor celebrated for roles in horror classics like Candyman and Final Destination, died on Wednesday (November 6) at his home in Marina Del Rey, California.
He was 69.
“I regretfully can confirm that my dear friend and client of over 30 years, Tony Todd has passed away,” his manager Jeffrey Goldberg told The Post. “What an amazing man and I will miss him every single day.”
Todd reportedly died of natural causes following a prolonged illness, his wife Fatima shared with The Hollywood Reporter.
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Born on December 4, 1954, in Washington, D.C., Tony Todd went on to study at the University of Connecticut before earning a scholarship to the Eugene O’Neill National Theatre Institute.
His time at the theatre helped him lay a foundation for his later stints at the then-Hartman Conservatory in Stamford, Connecticut, and the prestigious Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island.
Todd made his film debut in 1986’s Sleepwalk, launching an acting career spanning over 240 roles across film and television.
His most celebrated performance came as the haunting, hook-wielding ghost in 1992’s Candyman, a role he reprised in 1995’s Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh and Candyman: Day of the Dead.
Todd also became known for his role as the enigmatic William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise, appearing in the original 2000 film as well as in Final Destination 2 (2003) and Final Destination 5 (2011).
His other notable acting credits include 1990’s Night of the Living Dead, 1994’s The Crow, 2006’s Hatchet, 2015’s Frankenstein, and 2024’s The Bunker.
Todd also played Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
“The industry has lost a legend. We have lost a cherished friend. Rest in peace, Tony, -Your Final Destination Family,” New Line Cinema, the production house behind the Final Destination franchise, wrote on Instagram.
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Virginia Madsen, Todd’s co-star in the original Candyman film, shared an emotional tribute to the actor on her Instagram.
“My beloved. May you rest in power sweet to the sweet in heaven,” she wrote. “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, Madsen struggled to express her grief over Todd’s death.
“I just, just, just found out about Tony, and I will — I don’t know what to say right now,” Madsen told her followers. “But I’m — anyway. Yeah, I know about it, but I’m, I will say more about it.”
“My beloved Candyman,” and thanked fans for their “kind wishes,” she added.
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In addition to his wife, Fatima, Todd is survived by his two children, Alex and Ariana.
