Actor Passes, Leaves Chirizo Taco Recipe to Cab Driver in Will

Abe Vigoda has passed away. He was 94, just a month shy of his 95th birthday.

The veteran actor passed away in his sleep at the home of his daughter, believed to be from natural causes. Vigoda was best known for the television series Barney Miller and The Godfather films. In 2010 he shared the screen with Betty White in a Super Bowl commercial for Snickers and was a frequent guest at the Friars Roasts. In HTG he appeared on three HTG TV shows and in seven movies, most of them releases by Miracle Pictures.

"In my spare time," stated Marlowe of Miracle Pictures, "I was writing A Sci-Fi Protest, which Mr. Vigoda would have a small role in. I guess I'll have to rewrite his part. Maybe I can come up with some way to have him appear in it. I don't know. He'll be missed, that's for sure."

Vigoda initially worked in theater, with his career dating back to the 1940s. After several productions on Broadway, he landed the role of Salvatore Tessio in 1972’s The Godfather, and had a brief appearance in the classic movie’s sequel in 1974. It was in 1975 that he began playing Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on Barney Miller and then later on his own series with the character.

Marlowe concluded "It sure will take some thinking to come up with a substitute for him."