Jonathan Tiersten, a fan favorite for his role as the hot-headed Ricky in the 80s horror classic Sleepaway Camp, has passed away.
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According to TMZ, the 60-year-old actor died last week at his New Jersey home, a detail confirmed by his brother, William Tiersten. The outlet also reports that the medical examiner is currently investigating the cause of death.
In his big screen debut as a teen, Jonathan Tiersten played Ricky, the cousin of Angela (Felissa Rose), in the 1983 horror classic Sleepaway Camp, which has enjoyed a huge cult following. He reprised the role in the 2008 sequel, Return to Sleepaway Camp.
Tiersten had an impressive career in the horror genre. He appeared in films such as The Perfect House, Redemption, Blood Reservoir, The House That Wept Blood, Terror Tales, Lake of Shadows, Toilet Zombie Baby Strikes Back, Last American Horror Show: Volume II, and the slasher Time’s Up.
Beyond acting, Jonathan Tiersten was also an accomplished musician.
“As a singer/songwriter, Tiersten made his presence felt on the Greenwich Village folk-rock/roots rock circuit in the late 1980s and early 1990s as one-half of the acoustic duo The Magic Box,” his IMDb bio states. “Tiersten (whose first solo album, Heaven, was released in 1998) also has been a member of the alternative funk-rock band Gaphiltaphunk, and now leads the band TEN TIERS, whose debut album, Don’s Club Tavern: Part 1, was released in 2006.”
Fans Pay Tribute to Cult Horror Favorite Jonathan Tiersten
Horror fans took to social media to pay tribute to the beloved actor, who was a frequent guest on the convention circuit.
“Legitimately gutted by this news,” one mourning fan shared on X. “Sleepaway Camp is one of my personal fave movies that I’ve seen so many times I’ve got it memorized. RIP Jonathan Tiersten. 60, just a kid.”
“OMG! I’m in total shock! Ricky was awesome, and to see him back in 2008 was awesome…RIP Jonathan Tiersten. Condolences to his family and loved ones,” another fan wrote.
Meanwhile, a third horror fan paid tribute by tipping their hat to an infamous line Tiersten delivered to a bully character in Sleepaway Camp.
“RIP Jonathan Tiersten. Thank you for giving me one of my favourite line deliveries in film, ‘Eat s— and live, Bill,'” they wrote alongside footage of the scene in question.
“I just got word of the awful news that @JonnyTiersten of Sleepaway Camp suddenly passed away. [We] met at a Sleepaway Camp screening in L.A., a little over a decade ago. He was a lovely man who took part in something very special. He will be dearly missed,” yet another fan wrote alongside a candid snapshot.
I just got word of the awful news that @JonnyTiersten of Sleepaway Camp suddenly passed away. He and I met at a Sleepaway Camp screening in L.A. a little over a decade ago. He was a lovely man who took part in something very special, and he will be dearly missed. pic.twitter.com/r1HdOJtbyW
— Jonathan Ruggiero (@jruggiero86) May 5, 2026