Michael Villella, best known for his role in the 1982 cult classic Slumber Party Massacre, has passed away. He was 84.
Villella’s daughter, Chloe, confirmed his death with a post on social media, writing, “May you rest in peace daddy.” The news was also announced on his Facebook page: “Michael Pasquale Villella has left this world, may he rest in peace. May God welcome Michael with open arms and bring him into heaven.”
Chloe told TMZ that he passed away Nov. 23 from multiple organ failure. Villella had reportedly spent over a month in the hospital before his death.
Villella’s most notable role was playing the power drill-wielding killer Russ Thorn in The Slumber Party Massacre. Directed by Amy Holden Jones, the teen horror followed a high school slumber party that turns into a bloodbath when a serial killer goes on the loose. The slasher became a cult classic after receiving mixed reviews during its release.
The Slumber Party Massacre marked Villella’s acting debut.
He later revisited the role in the 2010 documentary Sleepless Nights: Revisiting the Slumber Party Massacre, an retrospective featuring accounts from the cast and crew.
Villella continued acting after making his debut in The Slumber Party Massacre, with roles in Love Letters, Amazing Stories, Gotham, Wild Orchid, and Wild Orchid II, after which he he took a break until making one final appearance in 2007 in the television series, Getting Away With Murder.
He also played uncredited roles in the 1990 horror films Sorority House Massacre II and Hard to Die.
Michele Michaels, who played the starring role in Slumber Party Massacre, praised her former co-star with a message on social media.
“My loving compadre since the making of SPM in 1982, celebrated actor, Michael Villella, has died peacefully, with deep embrace and loving presence of his family and friends. What a blessing to have been with his daughter, Chloe, witnessing her loving care for him,” she wrote on Facebook.
“I felt honored to be his colleague. Michael’s creative imagination will lift my spirit forever,” Michaels wrote.
Villella is survived by his daughter and his ex-wife.
