The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Star Brian Tarantina Dead at 60: He 'Had Been Ill Lately,' Rep Says
Brian Tarantina, the actor known for his role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, has died, PEOPLE confirms. He was 60.
At about 12:40 a.m. on Saturday morning, officers with the New York Police Department received a call about an unconscious person in a Manhattan apartment, a spokesperson with the department confirmed to PEOPLE.
Authorities arrived at the scene to discover Tarantina lying on his couch, and emergency medical services responded and officially pronounced him dead. The New York City medical examiner’s office will determine his official cause of death.
“Brian had been ill lately,” a rep for Tarantina tells PEOPLE. “He was recently in the hospital and was in the process of recuperating from what I believe to be a heart-related issue.”
The Gaslight won’t be the same without you. Thank you Brian Tarantina for sharing in all of the laughs. Sending love to his family and friends in this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/J1R1ijF3tE
— The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (@MaiselTV) November 2, 2019
According to TMZ, who first reported the news, Tarantina’s niece found him near a white powder substance that is allegedly believed to be narcotics. The outlet reports that the actor died of an apparent drug overdose.
Tarantina’s niece did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Tarantina was most recently known for his role as Jackie in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He was in attendance with the rest of the cast when the popular Amazon series won the Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series earlier this year.
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The actor was also known for his roles in television shows including Gilmore Girls and The Black Donnellys, and also had parts in shows including Heroes, Law & Order and The Good Wife.
Tarantina also had a long career in film that began in the 1980s and included the movies Jacob’s Ladder, Donnie Brasco, Uncle Buck and Summer of Sam.
Most recently, Tarantina acted alongside Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish in 2019’s The Kitchen.