Jonathan Frid, who played the vampire Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows, has died, aged 87.

The actor, who makes a brief cameo appearance in Tim Burton’s new version of the gothic soap opera due out shortly, last reprised the role of Barnabas in the Big Finish audio drama The Night Whispers. An actor since his school days, Frid appeared in various stage and television roles before being cast in the long-running series. He then continued with stage appearances, including his own one-man show.

He died of natural causes on April 13 (not 14, as originally indicated.) At a gathering of family and friends on April 18, the family remarked on John’s passing on Friday, April the 13th, and the fact that they were remembering him on April 18, the 45th anniversary of the broadcast of his first appearance at the door of Collinwood, according to a message from the official Dark Shadows newsletter. At Frid’s request, there was no funeral, nor will there be a memorial service. Donations may be made to Hillfield-Strathallen College, the school where he got his first taste of acting. http://www.hsc.on.ca/advancing-hsc/tribute-program.html

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  1. I remember when I heard about the death of Jonathan Frid, I was saddened, but was glad that he lived such a long life and know that his presence, talent and charisma are forever immortalized in the Dark Shadows TV series, and that he returned to the role that made him famous one last time in the audio ‘Night Whispers’.

    I remember listening to it and being at first taken aback at how much his voice had aged, but at the same time it seemed oddly appropriate. he still carried himself with dignity and class, and there were still hints of the younger Barnabas in his voice. I just chalked it up to the notion that this was Barnabas as a human, who at last was enjoying what it meant to be human, which also included experiencing the aging process, and given that he was already over 200 years, you could almost hear the antiquity and the ancient quality in his voice when he spoke.

    God bless you Jonathan Frid.

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