Jonathan Frid, Original 'Dark Shadows' Barnabas Collins, Dead At 87

Sadly, a man who paved the way for a Johnny Depp performance didn't survive to know how audiences took Depp's take on the character he made famous.

Jonathan Frid, the thespian who originally played contemplative vampire Barnabas Collins in the 1966 daytime soap opera "Dark Shadows", has died at 87 years old. Frid's passing comes mere weeks before Depp hits theaters May 11 in director TIm Burton's adaptation of the classic serial. Though reports of his death have only just arrived via Digital Spy today, he died of natural causes April 13 at Ontario, Canada's Juravinski Hopsital.

Showing his respect for Burton's comedic take on the supernatural drama, Frid himself had filmed a cameo for the "Alice in Wonderland" and "Sweeney Todd" director's production. He'd also appeared in the TV movie "The Devil's Daughter" and the horror film "Seizure".

To many, though, he'll always be Barnabas Collins. He wasn't among the 1966-1971 series' debut cast, but joined up in 1967. Collins was portrayed as a vampire returning to his family's estate, and rapidly became an icon of the series.

"May Jonathan Frid, 'our reluctant vampire,' live on in our hearts!" wrote co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott Thursday on her website. "How blessed I am to have known this dear man and to have such wonderful memories of him, both on screen and off . . . 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'."

To see a little of what made Frid so memorable, check out the clip below from Digital Spy.