'Halloween' star Charles Cyphers dies at 85

Charles Cyphers, who brought Sheriff Leigh Brackett to life in the classic John Carpenter horror film "Halloween" and reprised the role in two of its sequels, has died. He was 85.

The actor's manager, Chris Roe, confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY that he died on Sunday in Tucson, Arizona, after a brief illness.

"Charles was a lovable and sensitive man," Roe said. "He always had the best stories, and you got a full performance while he told you. He was a close friend and client of many years who will be dearly missed."

Cyphers was best known for his role in 1978's "Halloween" as Leigh Brackett, the sheriff whose daughter Annie becomes a victim of killer Michael Myers. He memorably delivers one of the film's most famous lines when he startles Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode and tells her, "It's Halloween. I guess everyone's entitled to one good scare." Cyphers reprised the role in the 1981 sequel "Halloween II."

Four decades later, he again returned as Leigh Brackett in 2021's "Halloween Kills," in which the character seeks revenge on Michael Myers for his daughter's death. After again uttering his famous line "everyone's entitled to one good scare," Brackett is ultimately killed by Michael in the film's closing sequence.

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Cyphers was a regular collaborator of Carpenter and starred in several other films from the "Halloween" director, including "Assault on Precinct 13," "The Fog" and "Escape from New York."

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Outside of his work with Carpenter, Cyphers appeared in episodes of shows like "ER," "Seinfeld" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," according to IMDb.

In 2021, "Halloween Kills" director David Gordon Green told Entertainment Weekly that Cyphers "was living peacefully in New Mexico without a lot of professional ambition" when he was asked to return as Brackett in the film.

"I think he probably got a kick out of the call, and we had a great time on set together," Green said.

In a statement provided to USA TODAY, Nancy Kyes, who played the daughter of Cyphers' character in "Halloween," said she was "so sorry" to hear about his death.

"My friend of many years, he could always be relied on for a kind word, a good laugh and a great story," Kyes said. "How he will be missed."