The final rest of Barnabas Collins...

Eerily, actor Jonathan Frid - the original Barnabas Collins - has passed away mere weeks before the new Dark Shadows incarnation with Johnny Depp is released in theaters on May 11th. Frid was 87 and died of natural causes in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. His final screen role is a cameo as a party guest in the upcoming film. Dark Shadows aired from 1966 - 1971 and Frid's vampire creation of Barnabas became a national sensation. Frid's costar Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans/Josette DePres), remembered Frid with appreciation and affection: "What fun we had working together! He was irascible, irreverent, funny, caring, lovable and thoroughly professional."