‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Actor Brian Tarantina Dead At 60 Of Alleged Overdose
Brian Tarantina, the actor known for his roles in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls has died of an alleged drug overdose, RadarOnline.com can report.
According to a site, the Sopranos star was discovered by his niece at 12:40 AM when she arrived at Hell's Kitchen to visit him. Upon finding his unconscious body on the couch, she called 911, who eventually came and pronounced him dead on the scene.
The New York Police Department also confirmed the star's death in a statement to Deadline.
“On Saturday, November 2, 2019 at approximately 0040 hours, police responded to a 911 call of an unconscious male inside of 353 West 51 Street, apartment 11, within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct,” the NYPD said. “Upon arrival, officers observed a 60-year-old male, unconscious and unresponsive, fully-clothed, on his couch. EMS responded to the location and pronounced the aided male deceased at the scene (his residence). The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death and the investigation remains ongoing.”
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First responders believe the sudden death may have been drug-related an unidentified white substance was allegedly found near his body, but a source told PEOPLE that the star had been under the weather in recent days.
“Brian had been ill lately,” a rep for Tarantina disclosed to PEOPLE. “He was recently in the hospital and was in the process of recuperating from what I believe to be a heart-related issue.”
An official autopsy will be conducted to determine the official cause of death.
Tarantina, a New York Native, spent years working in the entertainment industry. His acting roles extend as far back as 1968 and even included a recent appearance alongside Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish in 2019's The Kitchen.
Amid his long term career, he acted on both the big and small screens. He appeared on the Gilmore Girls from 2001-2002 and guest starred in Law & Order, Carlito's Way, The Blacklist, and Miami Vice, to name a few. His notable performance to date, however, was his role as Jackie in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the popular Amazon series that won the award for Outstanding Ensemble in a comedy Series at the Screen Actors Guild Awards back in January.