Actor and restaurateur John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia has died, reported Variety. Ciarcia, who was best known for his role as Albie Cianflone in the HBO hit series "The Sopranos," passed away Nov. 21 at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City after a brief, unspecified illness at 75 years old.
Ciarcia was also a producer, celebrity manager, boxing promoter and radio host, according to the New York Times. He owned Cha Cha's, a popular restaurant on Mulberry Street in New York's Little Italy, which has been frequented by Ciarcia's Hollywood pals Tony Danza, Danny DeVito, Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro.
Dubbed The Mayor of Little Italy, Ciarcia starred alongside DeVito in the 1992 film "Hoffa" and 2002's "Death To Smoochy," according to IMDB. He also co-starred in the 1998 film "A Brooklyn State of Mind" with Danza. Ciarcia has known Danza for decades — he worked as Danza's boxing manager.
"It's a shock, I'm dying over it," Danza told the New York Post after Ciarcia's death. "He saw me at Gleason's [boxing gym] and said, 'You'll put asses in the seats.' That kicked off a 40-year mentorship and brotherhood."
The native New Yorker went on to co-host Sirius Satellite Radio's "The Wise Guys Show" with his former "Sopranos" co-star, Vincent Pastore, who played the character Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, according to Variety. Ciarcia also owned a bar in Coney Island, but it was closed down after suffering damages during Hurricane Sandy.
"My dear friend Cha Cha has passed away," Danza tweeted along with a photo of the pals. "New York is not the same without him."
My dear friend Cha Cha has passed away. New York is not the same without him. pic.twitter.com/BGdXMlsg7g
— Tony Danza (@TonyDanza) November 25, 2015
