Dark Shadows

I am posting this article because I was a big fan of he TV show, Dark Shadows.

Jonathan Frid, the man who famously played Barnabas Collins on the popular Gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows," died at 87 on April 14, reports MSNBC.

The report says Frid died of natural causes in Ontario, from where he hails. "Dark Shadows" was on air from 1966 until 1971, reaching enormous popularity thanks mostly to Frid's Barnabas character. The show even drew 20 million viewers at one point, according to MSNBC.

Unfortunately Frid will not get to see Johnny Depp's take on Barnabas in the upcoming summer big screen adaptation from director Tim Burton, set to release May 11.

While certainly best known for "Dark Shadows," Frid also had roles in Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder," as well as a notable Broadway revival of "Arsenic & Old Lace."

The original series was broadcast in the afternoons and was popular among the after-school crowd. Alabama fans of "Dark Shadows" will remember that Kate Jackson, a Birmingham native, was a regular on the show as Daphne Harridge, one of Barnabas' love interests.