Danny Aiello The Godfather ‘Tony Rosato’ Do The Right Thing ‘Sal’ Dies At 86

NEW JERSEY. (THECOUNT) — Veteran actor Danny Aiello died Thursday night, his family told reporters. He was 86.

News outlets say, Aiello died at a medical facility in New Jersey, where he was being treated for a sudden illness, and that he had suffered an infection related to his treatment.

Aiello reportedly passed away shortly after his family left the facility after visiting him on Thursday, reports PopCulture.

Aiello, best known for his roles in The Godfather Part II, Do the Right Thing and Moonstruck, broke into movies in the early 1970s by landing a small part in the Robert De Niro baseball drama Bang the Drum Slowly. After that, he performed as Tony Rosato in The Godfather Part II, in which he memorably said, “Michael Corleone says hello!”

Aiello earned praise in several popular ’80s movies including Fort Apache the Bronx with Paul Newman, Once Upon a Time in America, The Purple Rose of Cairo, and Moonstruck, where he played Johnny Cammareri, the character who Cher’s character Loretta was set to marry until she fell for his brother, played by Nicolas Cage.