Paranormal investigator who died on 'Annabelle' doll tour had Netflix show watched for 26 million hours

A paranormal investigator who died while on tour with the original Annabelle doll was behind a Netflix show watched for millions of hours.

Dan Rivera died suddenly in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on Sunday July 13 at the age of 54.

Earlier that day, he had wrapped up the final stop on his sold-out 'Devils on the Run Tour', which saw him escort the allegedly demonic Annabelle doll across the US.

Adams County dispatch records indicate that at around 8pm, emergency crews were called to Dan's hotel where CPR was in progress.

Despite paramedics’ best efforts, the father-of-four was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation into his death will be opened following the results of an autopsy, though the coroner’s office noted that Dan's death did not appear suspicious.

Dan, a father-of-four, died suddenly, alone in his hotel room (dan_rivera_nespr/Instagram)

Since, Dan's heartbroken family shared an emotional statement, describing him as 'the center of this family and a pillar of love and strength.'

Rivera had made a name for himself as a paranormal investigator, having appeared on Travel Channel's famous Most Haunted Places.

He'd also worked as a consulting producer on the Netflix series 28 Days Haunted.

The horror-reality series puts US paranormal experts' Ed and Lorraine Warren’s controversial 28-day haunting theory to the test.

That being, that a location’s supernatural veil grows thinner after 28 days of continuous investigation.

The show Dan Rivera helped produce exceeded 26 million views (Netflix)

Released in October 2022, each of its six episodes follows three separate 'expeditions' in different, notoriously-haunted locations across America.

These include Allenstown, New Hampshire’s reportedly demon-infested abandoned sanitarium, a West Virginia estate tied to tragic family murders and an eerie Colorado mountain lodge rumored to host restless spirits.

Over the course of a full month, the teams live inside these sites, cut off from the outside world, and under constant camera surveillance as they attempt to provoke - and document - the supernatural.

Dan 'lent his expertise to shape the narrative and ensure a captivating exploration of haunted locations, offering insights and guidance to the production team', according to his agency's website.

Sadly, the TV series wasn't all too well-received, despite racking up more than 26 million hours viewed, as per FlixPatrol.

Droves of viewers rubbished the show as a send-up, while Reddit users claimed it had them 'bursting out laughing'.

Plenty of fans defended the show, though. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, one person wrote: "Loved it, whether real or not, compelling TV."

A second added: "Edge of your seat, intense goosebumps!" as a third described it 'binge-worthy.'

Netflix has never addressed the staging rumors, and the show is presented as a genuine experiment.

So, viewers and critics alike are left to draw their own conclusions about just how real these hauntings truly are.

28 Days Haunted is streaming now on Netflix.