Character actor Brian Tarantina, known for his role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls, died in his Manhattan home on Saturday. He was 60.
The New York Police Department said officers responded to Tarantina’s apartment on West 51st Street shortly before 1 a.m.
Tarantina was found on his couch, fully clothed but unconscious and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Tarantina’s cause of death is being determined by the medical examiner.
Laurie Smith, Tarantina’s manager, said he had recently had a severe illness.
“I have known him for years. He was an amazing, very, very talented actor and very sweet person,” Smith said. “I was really shocked and very sad. I’m still shocked.
“We are shocked and saddened at the passing of this wonderful actor and good friend.”
Tarantina was most recently in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Kitchen starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss.
On The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tarantina played an emcee at a comedy club called the Gaslight.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel took to Twitter to mourn Tarantina.
“The Gaslight won’t be the same without you. Thank you Brian Tarantina for sharing in all of the laughs. Sending love to his family and friends in this difficult time,” the tweet read.
In January, Tarantina was at the Screen Actors Guild Awards when the show won the comedy series ensemble category.
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Tarantina was also part of Gilmore Girls, where he played a newsstand owner named Bootsy. He appeared in the Netflix 2016 series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
In a statement, Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino mourned the loss of Tarantina.
“For over twenty five years, Brian Tarantina has been in our lives. He was in Amy’s first pilot. And he’s been in every significant thing we’ve done since,” the statement said. “He came in with that voice and that timing and he made every scene better. And weirder. Every moment was completely unique. You can’t describe a guy like Brian, you just had to be there. And lucky for us, we were. We love him and will forever miss him.”
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Tarantina had roles in a number of other television shows and movies, including BlacKkKlansman, Uncle Buck, Carlito’s Way, Blue Bloods, Person of Interest, Madam Secretary, Law & Order, Miami Vice and many more.
Fans and co-stars took to Twitter to send their condolences.
—With files from The Associated Press
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