Horror movie star Michael Villella has died at the age of 84, according to TMZ.
The actor’s daughter Chloe Villella told the outlet he died on Saturday afternoon after suffering multiple organ failure. He had been in the hospital for the last month.
She also shared a brief message about his passing on Facebook. ‘May you rest in peace daddy,’ Chloe wrote, alongside a heart emoji.
Her words captioned a picture of a lit candle beside a photograph of her father on a white kitchen countertop.
Villella is best known for playing Russ Thorn in 1982 cult favorite The Slumber Party Massacre, starring alongside Michelle Michaels and Robin Stille.
Produced by Amy Jones and written by Rita Mae Brown, the plot follows a high school senior’s slumber party in Los Angeles which is disturbed by a power drill-wielding killer played by Villella.
He also starred in Love Letters, Wild Orchid II, and Gotham.
Fans mourned Villella’s passing online, with many paying tribute to his role in The Slumber Party Massacre.
Horror movie star Michael Villella has died at the age of 84, according to TMZ
Pictured: Michael Villella attends Chiller Theater Expo Winter 2017 at Parsippany Hilton on October 27, 2017 in Parsippany, New Jersey
The actor’s daughter Chloe Villella confirmed his death. She also shared a brief message about his passing on Facebook alongside the above image
One X user said Villella ‘portrayed a terrific, underrated villain’ in the film.
‘His contribution to the horror genre has always been woefully underrated,’ another person agreed.
Villella is best known for playing Russ Thorn in 1982 movie The Slumber Party Massacre
A Reddit user described Villella as ‘one of my favorite slasher villains’.
‘Ok that’s it no more horror icons are allowed to die until 2025,’ another person on the platform wrote – after Tony Todd, who played the titular serial killer in the Candyman horror franchise, also died on November 6 aged 69.
He died of natural causes at home in Marina Del Rey, LA, according to his representative Jeffrey Goldberg, who told TMZ he did not have a specific cause of death.
Over the course in four decades in show business, Todd lent his talents to multiple tentpoles, including the Transformers and Final Destination film series.
He also played the Starship Enterprise’s Commander Kurn on multiple Star Trek shows, including The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.
Todd also enjoyed a varied stage career, including a run in the Broadway production of the musical Aida with songs by Tim Rice and Elton John.
