Fans of the classic movie serial Dark Shadows got some sad news today, worse than “hey, Tim Burton just took your favorite show and made it an awful comedy starring Johnny Depp.”
The original Barnabas Collins – Jonathan Frid, who played the role from 1967 to 1971, has died at the age of 87. A “curse from Angelique” isn’t what did him in — the reason was “natural causes.”
Frid will be making a cameo in the new film, and was beloved by generations – first from people who watched Dark Shadows every afternoon, and then by a generation who caught the show on DVD or repeats. Even though he began his role as Barnabas in his forties, Frid received thousands of fan letters on a daily basis and became a bit of a “teen idol.” Vampire heroes have permeated movies and TV in the many years since Dark Shadows aired, with characters like Twilight’s Edward Cullen or The Vampire Diaries’ Salvatores – but Barnabas was the original and best. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and many fans.
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I’ve been a huge fan of Jonathan’s Frid’s Barnabas since I was a child. I even wrote a song looking to capture the deep and complex character of Barnabas. Let me know what you think. You can hear that here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jXQ652Q7LM