Glenn Shadix, who played the unctuous and pretentious interior decorator Otho in Tim Burton’s 1988 comedy Beetle Juice has passed away earlier this morning at his Birmingham, AL condo falling a fall.
The Birmingham News quotes Shadix’s sister as saying, “He was having mobility problems, and he was in a wheelchair… It looks like he fell and hit his head in the kitchen, and that’s the cause of death.”
Shadix exhibited a flair for quirky, dark comedy that Burton capitalized on in his supernatural comedy, casting the heavy set actor as a decorator whose absurd plans for redecorating a home distresses the spirits of its deceased former owners. Shadix would reteam with Burton twice more – providing the voice for the Mayor of Halloweentown in The Nightmare Before Christmas, which Burton produced and the 2001 remake of Planet Of The Apes.
He appeared in numerous films and television roles, including the dark comedy Heathers, Demolition Man, Sleepwalkers and Dunston Checks In. After retiring from films a few years ago, he relocated back to his native Alabama to be closer to family.
It is terrible tragedy that Glen Shadix has passed away. You can help remember him by contributing to his memorial website at http://glennshadix.people2remember.com/
Man, this is sad news.