In memory of Jonathan Frid

Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby, Jim Pierson (Dark Shadows Marketing and Festival Director), and Jonathan Frid on location for "Dark Shadows" feature shoot. Courtesy of Kathryn Leigh Scott

There have been a lot of touching tributes flying around the Internet during the last 24 hours. I thought I'd share some of them with you, as well as links to their full texts. If you come across comments about Frid's life and career that you'd like to see here, please drop me a line in the comments below.


"Jonathan Frid was a one-in-a-million kind of guy, and I am so lucky to have known him."
-Marie Wallace

"I am so grateful to have worked with Jonathan, and to have known him as the charismatic, entertaining, complex and plain spoken man that he was. What fun we had working together! He was irascible, irreverent, funny, caring, lovable and thoroughly professional, and in the end became the whole reason why kids 'ran home from school to watch' 'Dark Shadows.'" - Kathryn Leigh Scott

"Your light was full of mystery, of history, of genealogy, of love. You carried the heavy past with such grace and allure. That need to watch had something to do with love, a love for you. What is it about love that made Dark Shadows so needed by millions? They loved you, Jonathan, as did I." - David Selby

"I will miss him so much. I am grateful to have known him. Take care, Jonathan, now that you have reached your island. Hopefully it looks like Hamilton. Our love goes with you." - Lara Parker

"I’m saddened to learn of the death of Jonathan Frid. He was a delightful, considerate, witty man, and the perfect vampire for Dark Shadows. I was intimidated by him when I was a kid—he treated me nicely, and he and Mom often roared with laughter at the crazy things they had to do for the show—but he was a star, and thus, even though he was kind and thoughtful when he was in our kitchen, I never quite knew how to behave around him. The man had charisma." - Matthew Hall

"That's why he had this vampire that was very multidimensional. It really set the trend for all these other things that have been done with vampires over the last 40, 50 years. Vampires were not in the vernacular. In 1967, there wasn't a pop culture of vampire stuff, so here he was in this mainstream network show that aired at 4 P.M. that really took off. And then he did the movie which was also a big hit." - Jim Pierson, Dan Curtis Productions

“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, as he so generously passed the torch of Barnabas to me, he was as elegant and magical as I had always imagined. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. The world has lost a true original.” - Johnny Depp

"It’s a sad day. I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet Jonathan on the set this past Spring. He left an indelible impression. Barnabas lives on!" - Tim Burton 

"Jonathan was a humble man, at times self-effacing to the point of appearing brusque. I suspect he was baffled by the affection he commanded from his fans, and the reaction his death has received today would have probably astonished him. But quite simply, Jonathan Frid was adored." - Stuart Manning, writer of The Night Whispers, Frid's last appearance as Barnabas Collins

"Jonathan Frid departed this mortal coil an icon beloved by millions. His legacy remains fully intact. He was a true original, a class act every step of the way." - David Elijah-Nahmod, Fangoria