Australian horror movie director James Wan left heartbroken after shock death of Annabelle haunted doll handler

Daily Mail​

9 hours ago

Australian horror director James Wan is mourning the tragic loss of Dan Rivera, the caretaker of his infamous 'haunted doll' Annabelle, who passed away while on tour in the US.
Dan Rivera, 54, was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for his Devils on the Run tour - a cross-country event featuring the eerie Annabelle doll - when he was discovered unresponsive at his hotel on Sunday night.
Wan, 48, known for directing the 2013 horror hit The Conjuring, which introduced Annabelle to audiences, and producing its 2014 spin-off, expressed his shock and sadness on social media this Wednesday.
The Saw director shared a heartbreaking report of Rivera's unexpected death on his Instagram Stories, adding a caption adorned with a saddened and shocked emoji.
The news came just one month after Wan expressed his heartbreak after his former producing partner Jason Constantine unexpectedly died.
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
It comes after the veteran ghost hunter died suddenly while touring the US with a 'possessed' doll in one of America's 'most haunted towns', Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Emergency dispatch logs confirmed a CPR-in-progress call for a man matching his age, according to the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), where he served as lead investigator.
The organisation later confirmed his death, though the cause remains unknown.
Rivera had built a loyal fanbase through his ghost-hunting work and viral content reviving the eerie legends of Annabelle and other cursed relics.
His final stop - in Gettysburg, a Civil War town long said to be haunted - was completely sold out.
The Annabelle doll gained notoriety through paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who kept it locked in a glass case in their private occult museum and famously warned visitors never to touch it.
The couple's work inspired Wan's The Conjuring and Annabelle films and remains central to modern paranormal lore.
The Devils on the Run tour - during which the actual doll was removed its sealed case for a series of public events - has come under growing scrutiny, with fans fearing its dark energy could be unleashed.
The Raggedy Ann Doll's paranormal legend dates back to the 1970s, when it was apparently given as a gift to a nurse in Hartford, Connecticut, before beginning to exhibit disturbing behaviour.
Annabelle was thought to be possessed by the spirit of a dead child and was said to move on her own, leave terrifying handwritten notes and even allegedly attacked someone.
The case caught the attention of the Warrens, who concluded Annabelle was being manipulated by a demonic entity.
Due to the popularity of the story and subsequent film franchise, the real Annabelle doll was removed from its secure case and included in the Devils on the Run tour, which began touring in May.
The tour wasn't just a viral hit - it stirred controversy too - Critics accusing Rivera and his team of exploiting fear and superstition for profit, while believers warned that transporting the doll could unleash real danger.
During one of the stops, visitors claimed the three-foot-tall doll had vanished without explanation, sparking a wave of online panic and conspiracy theories.
Fears snowballed across social media, with some convinced the so-called 'possessed' doll had unleashed a curse.
Despite the dark nature of his work, Dan was known for his upbeat, engaging presence - especially when it came to Annabelle.