Sid Haig, horror actor from Rob Zombie's films, has died at 80

Sid Haig's horror work earned him a cult following. Photo / Instagram

Actor Sid Haig, famous among horror movie fans for his role as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's horror films, has died at the age of 80, his heartbroken wife revealed.

The actor, with 149 credits to his name, had been hospitalised earlier this month.

While his roles in many horror films such as House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects gave him a cult following, he also starred in a range of mainstream films and television programs over his long career.

Entertainment Weekly reported that he died "following an unspecified 'accident' two weeks earlier".

His credits included the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever and Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, as well as appearances in many TV shows including Batman, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, The Rockford Files, The A-team and The Dukes of Hazzard.

After a string of iconic drive-in blaxploitation movie flicks in the 1970s, Haig made a mainstream comeback in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown and Kill Bill: Vol. 2.

While he played a part in Zombie's latest 3 From Hell series installment, health issues reportedly stopped him from taking on a bigger part.

View this post on Instagram

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. Sidney Eddie Mosesian 7/14/39 - 9/21/19 Husband, Father, Grandfather, Friend. Goodnight, my love. We will find each other again, next time. I love you.

A post shared by Remembering Sid Haig (@remembering.sid.haig) on Sep 23, 2019 at 2:07am PDT

Announcing his death, wife Susan wrote on Haig's Instagram account: "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. Goodnight, my love. We will find each other again, next time. I love you."

In the lead up to his death, he even starred in the recent film, 3 From Hell, released in cinemas last week.