Sad, sad news for vampire fans: Jonathan Frid, better known as Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows fame has passed away at the age of 87.
Yes, I'm talking about the original Dark Shadows, that classic goth soap opera from the 60's that put vampires on the pop culture map -- and none of that would've been possible without Jonathan Frid at the center as Barnabas (yes, the character Johnny Depp plays in the upcoming Tim Burton remake).
Frid was more than watchable -- you literally couldn't take your eyes off the man. One could argue that Frid's menacing charm became a kind of benchmark for the undead on TV and in films ...
Meaning one could argue that without Jonathan Frid's Barnabas, there would be no Edward Cullen. (Cullen ... Collins ... coincidence? I think not.) There would be no Bill Compton. No Eric Northman.
Talk about scary!
Thanks to his long legacy, Jonathan Frid really is immortal, in a way. Johnny Depp, who is going to be amazing in the Dark Shadows movie because Johnny Depp is practically perfect in every way, had this to say about Frid:
“Jonathan Frid was the reason I used to run home from school to watch Dark Shadows ... his elegance and grace was an inspiration then and will continue to remain one forever more. When I had the honor to finally meet him … [he] generously passed the torch of Barnabas.”
Sigh. Johnny Depp.
By the way, in case you're wondering when Frid passed on, exactly? It was Friday. The 13th.
You know he did that on purpose!
If you've never seen the original Dark Shadows ... check this out!
Were you a fan of the original Dark Shadows?
Image via afinpassing/YouTube
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Comments 7
Now that I'm logged in (the Nonmemeber post was me) I'll say again, I was such a big fan of Jonathan Frid and Dark Shadows. I had kept up with his personal blogs on his website that he kept updated. I'd wondered why his website hadn't been updated recently. While I am very sad about this, I can also say that he lived a long life and is/always will be a legend in my eyes.
awww sorry to hear he died i loved dark shadows wish it still was shown in this area!