American actor Tony Todd, star of the 'Candyman' horror franchise, has died at the age of 69

The actress Virginia Madsen, his partner in “Candyman”, paid tribute to “a rare actor”, “a gentle soul with a deep knowledge of the arts”.

He will forever remain the ghost with the hook and bees to his many fans around the world. Tony Todd, the iconic actor of the horror saga Candymanpassed away on Wednesday November 6 at his home in Marina Del Rey, California, United States. He was 69 years old. His death was confirmed to several American media by a representative of the actor.

Tony Todd, born December 4, 1954, appeared in “more than 240 films and TV shows in 40 years”reminds Deadline (link in English). If his career takes a step forward with StarTrek, it's his character Daniel Robitaille in Candyman (1992), the film by British director Bernard Rose, who made him famous. He will play him three times in the 90s then in a sequel in 2021.

Candyman is the ghost of the painter Daniel Robitaille, victim of a cruel racist murder carried out with the help of bees at the end of the 19th century. At the origin of his murder, a vendetta launched against him by the father of his beloved who could not stand his white daughter dating a black man.

Over the years, Tony Todd has become an essential figure in American horror cinema. However, he has appeared in a multitude of roles as different as each other, notably in popular series like 21 Jump Street, MacGyver or even X-Files. He was also featured in the saga Final Destination or even The Crown. In his early days, he was notably seen in Platoon.

Since the announcement of his death, fans of the actor have taken the web by storm. Like his colleagues including Virginia Madsen, his partner in Candyman. She paid him a tender tribute through several messages published on her Instagram page. In one of them, the actress salutes the memory of“a gentle soul with a deep knowledge of the arts”, “a rare actor who opened himself to the attention of the public”, available for his fans.”Thanks to Bernard Rose, we have truly created a gothic romance”she further emphasized about their collaboration.