'Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Actor Brian Tarantina Dead At 60 — Cause Of Death Just Revealed
Rest in peace, Brian Tarantina.
getty Brian Tarantina from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon, was found dead in his apartment in Hell's Kitchen on Saturday, November 2nd. He was 60 years old.
How did Brian Tarantina die? A month after his passing, his cause of death has finally been released.
Born in New York City in 1959, Brian Tarantina was a character actor who got his start thanks to his role in Summer of Sam, a film based on the real-life events surrounding the so-called "Son of Sam" serial killings in New York City. Prior to that, he had a bit part in the 1989 comedy, Uncle Buck, opposite the late, great John Candy. He also had roles in such films as Black KKKlansman, Breaking Brooklyn, and The Kitchen.
But now, a medical examiner has released his true cause of death. Let's look at what we know about what happened.
1. He was best known for his role on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Though Brian Tarantina had a long and storied history of working in Hollywood, his biggest role of his career was on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, where he played Jackie, the Gaslight Comedy Club emcee.
2. He also had a few Broadway roles.
Tarantina had several roles on the Broadway stage, including Angels Falls and Balm in Gilead, before he got his breakthrough role on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He also appeared in Gilmore Girls, and appeared onstage with his Marvelous Mrs. Maisel colleagues at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
3. Tarantina was originally thought to have had an illness.
“Brian had been ill lately,” a rep for Brian Tarantina revealed. “He was recently in the hospital and was in the process of recuperating from what I believe to be a heart-related issue.”
4. But the truth might be more sinister.
Brian Tarantina's niece was the one who found him in his apartment. When paramedics arrived at the scene after they were called, they found a "white powdery substance" next to Tarantina's body, which was thought to be narcotics.
5. The cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel paid tribute to Brian Tarantina on Twitter.
The first tribute came through the official Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Twitter account.
There were other tributes that poured in from other cast members, as well. Alex Borstein lamented that she thought "Jackie," as she knew Brian, would be "the last one to leave her." Rachel Brosnahan, who plays the lead on the series, also cried about her "talented and kind" co-star.
“So deeply sad to hear about the passing of Brian Tarantina. He was hilarious and talented and kind and an all around golden fucking weirdo. Our family of weirds won’t be the same without him," she said on Instagram.
6. How did Brian Tarantina die? His cause of death was officially ruled a drug overdose.
Our thoughts are with Brian Tarantina and his family during this difficult time.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. For more information, click here.