Oscar-nominated actor Danny Aiello dies at the age of 86

By Marriska Fernandes on December 13, 2019 | 1 Comment


Oscar-nominated actor Danny Aiello has died. The actor died in the hospital on Thursday night after a brief illness. He was 86.

His family said in statement: “It is with profound sorrow to report that Danny Aiello, beloved husband, father, grandfather, actor and musician passed away last night after a brief illness. The family asks for privacy at this time. Service arrangements will be announced at a later date.”

According to TMZ, Aiello died at a medical facility in New Jersey. He was in the facility being treated for a sudden illness and had suffered an infection related to his treatment.

The New York actor was best known for playing Sal in Do the Right Thing and his breakthrough role in Moonstruck, in which he played Cher’s lovelorn suitor. It was his performance in Do the Right Thing that earned him Oscar and Golden Globe nominations in the Best Supporting Actor categories.

He also appeared in The Godfather: Part II, The Front, Fort Apache the Bronx, The Purple Rose of Cairo, 29th Street, Ruby, The Pickle and The Cemetery Club.

Cher took to Twitter to pay tribute to her late co-star. “Goodbye Dear #DannyAiello. Danny was a Great Actor, But a Genius Comedic Actor. We laughed so much making #Moonstruck. It was one of the happiest times in my life.”

Mia Farrow, his former co-star, also paid tribute to the late actor. She Tweeted: “So very sad to hear that Danny Aiello has died. He was a superb actor and a lovely person. It was a joy and an honor to work with him (in Broadway Danny Rose) Condolences and love to his family.”



Comments & Discussion

  1. Daniel Schneider • December 14, 2019 @ 7:43 AM

    Loved Danny! The first movie I ever watched with him was The Protector with Jackie Chan and although it wasn’t a big hit Danny and Jackie were both great in it. They had a  great chemistry. Do The Right Thing is definitely his crowning achievement. One of my favorite movies that I still watch anytime it’s on tv even though I own it. It’s really surreal because I’ve been watching the Being Frank show with Frank D’Angelo and Danny has been featured on quite a bit of recent episodes and I got to know more about him that he started out as a bouncer and was a really shy guy and still was. He just got an opportunity in a movie and he said he didn’t really know what he was doing but the director thought he was great so he just went with it and the rest was history. He became a really good underrated actor without a doubt that was in many big movies and smaller underrated movies. He was also on Being Frank because he’s featured in some of Frank’s recent movies and it looks like they are really good friends. I’m sure Frank will be paying tribute  to Danny on one of his episodes soon. It’s just surreal as I said. I didn’t know he had health problems as they reported. He looked fine. I Love you Danny and I will miss you but I we’ll all be joining eachother one day in our True Home where I know you our now and you will be everywhere. Until we meet ❤🙏 Always!

  2. raymond sack • December 16, 2019 @ 12:37 PM

    I enjoyed watching every movie and every character that Danny Aiello played. My favorite is “Dinner Rush”. You will be missed Danny. RIP


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