Star of Stage and Screen Abe Vigoda Dies at 94

His family said he died in his sleep in his daughter Carol Vigoda Fuchs’ home in New Jersey on Tuesday.

Abe Vigoda, the sunken-eyed character actor known for playing the treacherous Mafia boss Tessio in The Godfather and Det.

Cast in the 1972 classic film The Godfather, Abe Vigoda played the role of Salvatore Tessio, described by the Washington Post as “an underworld figure who betrays Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone and pays the price”. Vigoda remained a regular on “Barney Miller” until 1977 when he took the character to his own series, “Fish”.

He picked up three supporting-actor Emmy nominations for the part. “But you can’t be Abe Vigoda because he’s dead”.

The man spoke to a receptionist who said she would pass it on to the editorial department.

As of this afternoon, the site directs visitors to a single page bearing the word “Yes”, along with Vigoda’s date of birth – February 24, 1921 – and today’s date, his date of death. Two years into Barney’s run, that popularity led to a spinoff, Fish, that even at the time was considered by many to be ill-advised.

Unlike the creaky, lethargic Fish, Vigoda was a vigorous man who played handball regularly and was still jogging into his 80s.

Over the next few decades, Vigoda dutifully served as a character actor in a variety of TV shows and movies, though perhaps his biggest claim to fame was a false death report that ran in People in 1982. “It was fascinating.” Robert Duvall, a “Godfather” co-star, remembered Vigoda in a statement. In 1997 he was shopping in Bloomingdale’s in Manhattan when a salesman remarked: “You look like Abe Vigoda”.

According to the New York Times, People magazine erroneously reported that he died in 1982.

The producer then said to Vigoda, “you look like you have hemorrhoids”, to which he replied, “What are you, a doctor or a producer?”

Vigoda continued to make occasional appearances on the late night shows hosted by David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, and was the frequent subject of sighting reports as he lived mostly a quiet life in retirement in New York City well into his 90s.

Vigoda was married twice in his life, though his most recent wife, Beatrice Schy passed away in 1992.

The only apparent function of the site was to inform visitors whether or not Vigoda was alive or dead.