Dan Rivera, the owner of the real-life Annabelle doll that inspired the horror movies, has died while on tour with the toy.
Rivera was a paranormal investigator and primary caretaker of the Annabelle doll. He was on a tour of the US, titled Devils on the Run Tour, hosted by Ghostly Images of Gettysburg and the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR). According to a report from The Independent, the doll will continue to tour on the remaining dates.
Rivera was 54 years old, and as yet no cause of death has been released.
The real-life Annabelle is an allegedly haunted Raggedy Ann brand doll connected to paranormal events in the 1970s. The toy came to be owned by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who displayed it in their museum of The Occult.
It’s with deep sadness that Tony, Wade, and I share the sudden passing of our close friend and partner, Dan Rivera. We…
Posted by New England Society for Psychic Research – NESPR on Monday, July 14, 2025
The Warrens were portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in The Conjuring film franchise, which was based on their case files. Annabelle, a prequel and spin-off to those movies, was released in 2014. While the doll is based on the real-life Annabelle, its design was changed for copyright reasons.
The success of Annabelle let to two sequels – Annabelle: Creation (2017), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019). The trilogy has collectively grossed over $800Million (around £600Million) worldwide at the box office.
A statement released on the Facebook page of the NESPR said: “It’s with deep sadness that Tony, Wade, and I share the sudden passing of our close friend and partner, Dan Rivera. We are heartbroken and still processing this loss. Dan truly believed in sharing his experiences and educating people on the paranormal. His kindness and passion touched everyone who knew him. Thank you for your support and kind thoughts during this difficult time”.
English (US) · 