Ted White, who famously played iconic horror killer Jason Voorhees in 1984's "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter," has died at 96.
The news was confirmed Saturday by producer Sean Clark, who said in a statement on Facebook that the actor died peacefully in his sleep at his home.
"I've had the pleasure of knowing him and working with him for close to 20 years," Clark wrote. "He was my adopted grandpa and hands down the best storyteller you could have ever met. If you haven't read it yet check out his book Cast a Giant Shadow where many of those stories are told."
Born in Snyder, Texas, on January 25, 1926, White attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played football before pursuing an acting career, according to Gizmodo.
He was cast in his first film in 1949 when he landed the role of a marine in "The Sands of Iwo Jima." It was here that he met John Wayne, for who he would become a stunt double in 1952. White went on to appear as a stunt double in a number of films including, "Planet of the Apes" (1968), and "Soylent Green" (1973), as well as "Escape from New York" (1981) and "Gone in 60 Seconds" (2000).
Onscreen, White made appearances in several films like "Tron" and "Romancing the Stone," but his most memorable performance was as Jason in "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter." As Gizmodo noted, White took the role because of the money but declined to reprise the role in the "Friday the 13th" franchise.
"I am going to miss you immensely and those steak dinners we always had," Clark wrote in his Facebook post. "Also teasing you about your red, white & blue banner that made you look like you were running for President. My heart goes out to his wife Jeri and his sons. It was an absolute honor my friend. Rest easy. Love you Ted."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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