American movie and television actor Abe Vigoda, who is best remembered for his role in the 1972 crime film “The Godfather,” has died in New Jersey. He was 94.
Vigoda died in his sleep on Tuesday morning while staying at his daughter’s home in Woodland Park, New Jersey, according to the Associated Press. Daughter Carol Vigoda Fuchs told the news agency that her father had died of old age, saying: “This man was never sick.”
Vigoda is best known for his portrayal as Sal Tessio in “The Godfather” and as Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on the TV sitcom “Barney Miller.”
He became the subject of running gags in the 1980s after People magazine mistakenly referred to Vigoda as dead, prompting Vigoda to pose for a photo in which he sat in a coffin while holding the erroneous issue of People. A local TV station in New Jersey made a similar error in 1987.
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