Just days after the release of his last filmed performance, in Rob Zombie’s 3 From Hell, actor Sid Haig has passed away at the age of 80, according to his wife. Susan L. Oberg posted the following on Instagram, saying that Haig had died on Saturday.
On Saturday, September 21, 2019, my light, my heart, my true love, my King, the other half of my soul, Sidney, passed from this realm on to the next. He has returned to the Universe, a shining star in her heavens. He was my angel, my husband, my best friend and always will be. He adored his family, his friends and his fans. This came as a shock to all of us. We, as a family, are asking that our privacy and time to mourn be respected.
There had been concern for Haig’s health after an accident left him in the hospital, unable to attend the premiere of 3 From Hell. As of a few days ago, it was hoped that the actor’s condition was improving, but things clearly took a turn for the worst.
To genre fans, Haig was a familiar, easily recognizable face for many appearances large and small throughout his career. His highest profile work came via collaborations with musician-director Rob Zombie, playing Captain Spaulding, the clown makeup-wearing psychopath who served as the head of the “Firefly family” in House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects and the new 3 From Hell. However, Haig also had numerous other screen appearances over the decade, having the fortune to work with some of the more notable genre directors of the day. Notably, he became close with director Jack Hill in the 1970s, appearing in films such as Foxy Brown and Coffy alongside blaxploitation star Pam Grier. This in turn led to Haig being cast by Quentin Tarantino in 1997’s Foxy Brown, a tribute to those same Pam Grier movies.
Other notable appearances included a bevy of TV spots, from Gunsmoke and Get Smart to Charlie’s Angels and The A-Team, and films like 2015’s Bone Tomahawk.