Abe Vigoda, ‘Barney Miller’ and ‘Godfather’ actor, dies at 94

Abe Vigoda, the prolific character actor who starred in the 1970s TV series Barney Miller and was a member of the Mafia in The Godfather, has died. He was 94.

His daughter, Carol Vigoda Fuchs, confirmed the sad news to the Associated Press on Tuesday. She said that Vigoda died peacefully in his sleep due to old age at her Woodland Park, New Jersey home. “This man was never sick,” Fuchs told the AP.

Vigoda had been working in Hollywood as early as the late 1940s on television, including several episodes of Dark Shadows. But in 1972, Francis Ford Coppola cast him as Tessio in The Godfather, re-launching his career. While his name was never as well-known as his face, he continued to get roles.

His biggest part outside The Godfather was in the 1975-1982 series Barney Miller with Hal Linden. He earned three Emmy nominations for his role as Phil Fish.

Vigoda continued to regularly appear in movies and television shows through the 2000s and would often lend his voice to Godfather-related video games.

Vigoda is also famous for the frequent premature reports of his death. They became so common that a website called “IsAbeVigodaDead.com” popped up. For years, it was just a blank white page with the word “No” in the middle. Sadly, it now says “Yes.”

As Variety notes, Vigoda is survived by his daughter. His wife, Beatrice, died in 1992.