Confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Vachik Mangassarian’s manager, Valerie McCaffrey, shared that the actor’s death was due to complications related to COVID-19. He died in Burbank, California. While it is unknown whether or not the actor was vaccinated at the time of his death, in recent months he expressed opposition to vaccines and shared a variety of anti-vax memes to Facebook, according to the Daily Beast. In October 2021, Mangassarian shared an image of a billboard that read “I am more afraid of a Democrat in the White House than I am of COVID-19.” However, his work on the film “Moving On” may suggest he had to complete vaccination requirements.
Regardless of his political viewpoints and suspicions of the pandemic, his death comes as a tragedy to fans, who have highlighted his varied character work and Armenian representation in Hollywood. Fans are sharing their condolences on Twitter; “We have sadly lost another member of your family Agents … May his soul sleep in peace!” one person wrote, referencing his role on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Another called him “a fine actor and professional,” tweeting, “His performance in [The Stoning of Soraya M] so good that people who knew him didn’t realize it was him.”
