Actor Brian Tarantina, who was famous for his roles in “Gilmore Girls” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” has died at the age of 60.
According to police, “Tarantina was found in his New York apartment on Saturday morning after authorities responded to a call about an unconscious man.” He was pronounced dead at the scene. However, the cause of his death remains unknown.
Tarantina’s representative, Laurie Smith, said he had been “ill” lately and was recovering from a cardiac issue at home.
Smith told PEOPLE, “He was recently in the hospital and was in the process of recuperating from what I believe to be a heart-related issue.”
“I have known him for years. He was an amazing, very, very talented actor and very sweet person,” Smith told CNN. “I was really shocked and very sad. I’m still shocked.”
In January, Tarantina got the Screen Actors Guild award for “Outstanding Ensemble” in a Comedy Series.
On Sunday, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel team took to Twitter to pay tribute to the actor. It tweeted, “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.”
Rachel Brosnahan also paid tribute to the late actor on her Instagram account and remembered him as a “golden f**king weirdo.”
She wrote, “So deeply sad to hear about the passing of Brian Tarantina. He was hilarious and talented and kind and an all around golden f**king weirdo. Our family of weirds won’t be the same without him.”
Tarantina had worked with Amy Sherman-Palladino throughout his career. He played as Bootsy on her hit show “Gilmore Girls.”
Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Daniel, told Deadline, “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.”
“He came in with that voice and that timing and he made every scene better. And weirder. Every moment was completely unique,” they added. “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.” Tarantina also played funny roles in other TV series, including “The Black Donnellys,” “ER,” “Madam Secretary,” and “Heroes.” He also acted in films such as “Carlito’s Way,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” and recently “The Kitchen” and “BlacKkKlansman.”
