When it comes to cursed items,The Conjuringfranchise has ensured that everyone knows the evil doll Annabelle. However, the original, real-life version of the doll has now hit the headlines after paranormal investigatorDan Riverawas revealed to have died suddenly at the age of 54 while on tour with the item.
Rivera has been hosting a national tour with the New England Society of Psychic Research that features the original Annabelle doll that inspiredThe Conjuringmovies. The latest stop of the tour was in Gettysberg, Pennsylvania, where Rivera sadly passed away. Sharing the news on Facebook, Chris Gilloren of the NESPR wrote:
“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. Thank you for your support and kind thoughts during this difficult time.”
According to details revealed by Adams County dispatch (viaE!News), authorities were called to a hotel on July 13, after reports of CPR being carried out on a 54-year-old man had been called in. No official cause of death has yet been revealed, with the coroner’s report currently pending.
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The tour being hosted by the NESPR had performed its Gettysberg show the day before Rivera’s death. The investigator had been working in the paranormal research industry for over a decade, following a career in the U.S. army. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
The Story of Annabelle Continues to Grow
The tour that Rivera was taking part in saw the original Annabelle doll being removed from its usual confinement in the Warren’s Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, whereEd and Lorraine Warrenkeep many items that have been linked to the paranormal cases they have been involved in over the decades.
Dating back to 1968, the haunting tale that inspired one of the most successful horror franchises of the last several decades began when a nursing student was gifted a ragdoll. According to the case files on the NESPR website:
“Almost immediately, the roommates noticed strange occurrences with the doll and they were introduced to a medium who told them the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle. The two roommates tried to accept the doll’s spirit and please it only to have it reciprocate maliciousness and violent intent.”
As part of the Devils on the Run Tour, the blurb notes that audiences would experience a “chilling encounter” with the seemingly ordinary doll that has “reportedly caused misfortune, injury, and even death to those who have interacted with it improperly.”
Rivera’s sad death is now set to be a footnote in thealready lengthy history of Annabelle, as no doubt, those who believe in the doll’s malignancy will not be able to rule out the investigator’s close connection with her during this tour as more than a mere coincidence.
