Virginia Madsen, who co-starred with Tony Todd in 1992’s Candyman, is paying tribute to the actor following his death.
The pain, I can assure you, will be exquisite. As for our deaths, there is nothing to fear. Our names will be written on a thousand walls. Horror fans all over lost one of the greats this week, as Tony Todd – most famous for portraying Candyman across the namesake series – passed away at the age of 69. Now, his Candyman co-star, Virginia Madsen, is paying tribute.
Posting to Instagram following the news of Tony Todd’s death, Virginia Madsen – who played graduate student Helen Lyle in 1992’s Candyman – expressed her shock and thanked fans for reaching out. “Hey you guys, I just, just, just found out about Tony, and I will…I don’t know what to say right now. But yeah, I know about it. I will say more about my beloved Candyman. Anyway, thanks for your kind wishes.” In an accompanying caption, Madsen wrote, “My beloved. May you rest in power sweet to the sweet in heaven. The great actor Tony Todd has left us and now is an angel. As he was in life. More later but I can’t right now. I love you.”
In a separate post, Madsen wrote, “A truly poetic man. A voice that made it easy to swoon. Thanks to Bernard Rose, we really created a gothic romance. It’s why the film lives on. A gentle soul with a deep knowledge of the arts. He enjoyed the fans and was never shy when it came to fans approaching, wanting photos. A rare actor who allowed himself to be open to the public attention. Wish I had seen him on the stage. I will miss him so much and hope he haunts me once in a while. But I will not summon him in the mirror! What a gift that Jordon Peele let us live again as lovers. He talked about a prequel using technology so that we, ourselves could tell the tale of how their love began. Imagine that. I do. My dear friend Tony, I do.”
While Tony Todd would portray Candyman aka Daniel Robitaille in four films (including 2021’s sequel to the original), Virginia Madsen would only play Helen in the first movie, with a brief voice cameo in the 2021 follow-up. However, her character was planned to return for the 1995’s Farewell to the Flesh, but this storyline was ultimately cut and the screenplay reworked.
While Tony Todd would go on to have hundreds of screen credits, he will always be best remembered for Candyman. Not only does the film feature a genuinely terrifying performance from Todd, but it also was brave enough to explore ideas of social class, race and more. In it, Madsen’s Helen is studying urban legends when she comes across the Bloody Mary-esque Candyman, who makes Helen his target and object of desire. More than 30 years on, the film still holds up as one of the most interesting horror films of the ‘90s.
What are your memories of seeing Candyman when you were younger? What do you think Tony Todd’s legacy is in the horror genre?
