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Tony Todd, the prolific actor who starred in films like Candyman And Final destinationdied at the age of 69.

Todd, best known for his work in the horror genre, died at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening (November 6) after a long illness. His wife Fatima confirmed the news The Hollywood Reporter.

Todd’s other best known projects were included The Rock, Platoon, The CrowAnd Transformers: Rise of the Fallen.

Born in Washington, DC in the year 1954, Todd studied theater at the Eugene O’Neill National Actors Theater Institute and the Trinity Repertory Company in Rhode Island.

His breakthrough came in Oliver Stone’s war epic Platoonin which Todd played an Army sergeant addicted to heroin. The film won Best Picture at the 1986 Academy Awards.

Other important early films include the 1986 Clint Eastwood-directed jazz biopic Birdand the 1990 remake Night of the Living Dead.

Todd’s most indelible performance came in the 1992 horror Candymanin which he played the titular character, a killer with a hook hand who appears when his name is spoken five times in a mirror.

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Candyman was celebrated for its sharp social commentary and innovative take on horror. The film later spawned three sequels: Candyman: Farewell to the flesh (1995), Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (1999), and Candyman (2021), all of which starred Todd.

In 1994, Todd starred in the cult horror film starring Brandon Lee The Crowin which he plays the character Grange, the right-hand man of crime boss Top Dollar (Michael Wincott).

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He played a Marine Corps captain in the 1994 Nic Cage thriller The Rockand funeral home owner William Bludworth in the hit 2000 horror film Final destination. He also appeared in three of the Final Destination sequels, and will appear posthumously in the upcoming films Final destination: Bloodlineswhich is currently in post-production.

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Todd also worked a lot on TV (in series, including Springstraat 21, Night Court, MacGyver, Matlock, Law and order, The X files, NYPD blue, Star Trek: The Next Generation And Homicide: life on the street) and as a voice actor in projects such as Transformers: Rise of the Fallen.

Additionally, he enjoyed a prolific career on stage, starring in Broadway productions Aida and that of Augustus Wilson King Hedley II among others.

New Line Cinema, the studio behind the Final destination franchise, wrote: “The industry has lost a legend. We have lost a dear friend. Rest in peace, Tony, – Your final destination family.