Dean McDermott is joining the round of celebrities and fans paying tribute to the late Sid Haig. After the famed horror actor’s passing over the weekend at the age of 80, McDermott took to Instagram to remember the actor, who was best known for his role as psychotic clown Captain Spaulding in multiple Rob Zombie-directed films.
“Rest In Peace Captain,” McDermott captioned a photo of Haig in character. “You were an incredible actor. Your creation of Captain Spaulding is second to none. Brilliant work.”
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McDermott added the hashtags “Sid Haig” and “Captain Spaulding,” both of which have been used by fans as they remember the horror star.
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The post also had many fans paying their respects to Haig in the comments section, many remembering him in that iconic role which he first took on in 2003’s House of 1000 Corpses and reprised in 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects. Haig again stepped into the shoes of Captain Spaulding for the recently released 3 From Hell, though his role had to be dramatically reduced after he suffered a health scare just weeks before filming began.
“Such an interesting character in House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects,” one fan wrote. “Sad News.”
“So sad,” wrote another.
“I was fortunate enough to meet him at a convention once and he was incredibly funny and gracious,” a third recalled.
According to reports, Haig’s death came after he was hospitalized more than a week earlier for a “nasty spill” at his home. He was admitted into the ICU when he began experiencing breathing complications. He passed away on Saturday, Sept. 21, his wife, Susan L. Oberg, confirmed on Instagram.
A longtime muse for Zombie, the director, who has paid multiple tributes to Haig, recalled the tragic moment that he learned of the actor’s death.
“Last night I received a phone call I was dreading from Bill Moseley. He told me that our friend Sid Haig had died. It was shocking but unfortunately not unexpected,” he wrote. “I’ve known for a long time how sick Sid was and what he was battling. Over the past year as I saw pictures of him still attending conventions I thought perhaps he had beat it, but last week when he returned to the hospital I feared the worst.”
“Sid and I had a long talk on the day that he told me of his condition and he knew 3 From Hell would most likely be his last appearance on screen. Sadly it was,” he continued, adding that Haig “gave it his all and made his scene very memorable” in 3 From Hell.
