Horror icon Tony Todd has died. Famous for his looming presence and echoing, Stentorian voice, Todd was a familiar face from his roles in Candyman, Final Destination, and The Crow. Deadline reports that Todd died at his Los Angeles home at age 69.

Born in Washington DC on December 4, 1954, and raised in Hartford, Connecticut, Todd studied theater at the Eugene O’Neill National Actors Theatre Institute and Trinity Rep Conservatory. Instantly recognizable thanks to his 6'5" height and deep voice, he made one of his first screen appearances in Oliver Stone's Platoon.

Other roles followed in films like Colors, Bird, and Lean on Me. However, in 1990, Todd made his first foray into the genre that would come to define his career. He stepped into Duane Jones' shoes as Ben, the capable, level-headed leader of a group of survivors weathering a zombie uprising in Tom Savini's 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead.

Who Was Tony Todd Beyond 'Candyman'?

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Image via Columbia Pictures 

Todd went from character actor to horror legend when he was cast as the lead in Bernard Rose's 1992 horror movie Candyman. He played Daniel Robitaille, a painter who was mutilated and murdered by a racist mob in the 19th century for the crime of miscegenation, only to haunt Chicago for decades thereafter as a legendary spirit. The film was a critical and commercial hit, and Todd's haunting performance was widely praised. He went on to play the character in two subsequent sequels, and appeared in Nia DaCosta's 2021 reimagining of the franchise.

He subsequently carved out a career in horror, appearing in films like The Crow, Wishmaster, Hatchet, and several films of the Final Destination franchise. In the latter films, he played recurring character William Bludworth, a mortician with a deep insight into the ways of death. Todd continued to appear in horror projects up to his passing; some more recent entries include Werewolf Game, Hell Fest, and this year's Stream.

However, despite his ubiquity in the genre, Todd was not limited to horror. He was frequently seen on television, and had a number of roles in the Star Trek franchise; they included Worf's brother Kurn on The Next Generation, and an aged version of Jake Sisko in the classic Deep Space Nine episode "The Visitor". He recurred on Homicide: Life on the Street, Chuck, and Scream. His powerful voice made him an in-demand voice actor, as well; he voiced the ancient Decepticon The Fallen in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and recently played Venom in the popular video game Spider-Man 2.

Todd is survived by his two children and by his sister, actor Monique Dupree. He will live on whenever horror fans hear his inimitable voice, and feel a shiver up their spines. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.