Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Michael Zegen Remembers 'Iconic' Late Costar Brian Tarantina
The cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is like a family — and last week, the actors tragically lost one of their own.
Brian Tarantina, who played Gaslight comedy club emcee Jackie on the Emmy-winning Amazon Prime series, was found dead in his New York City home on Nov. 2. He was 60, and his rep told PEOPLE he “had been ill lately” and was recovering from a “heart-related issue.”
In an interview with PEOPLE, star Michael Zegen remembers Tarantina as a joy on-set, where they bonded over sports.
“He was such a good guy and, and I always like hanging out with him and talking about the Yankees, because he was a big Yankees fan,” Zegen, who plays Midge’s estranged husband Joel Maisel on the show, says with a soft laugh. “He used to keep the tape [of] all the games from the night before. He would tape them and watch them the next day.”
RELATED: Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Pays Tribute to Brian Tarantina: ‘The Gaslight Won’t Be the Same Without You’
The 40-year-old adds: “I just, I really, I loved working with him. You know, his voice is like almost iconic at this point. So we’re really going to miss him.”
He also teases Tarantina’s presence in season 3 of Maisel, which premieres on Amazon Dec. 6.
“He had such great stuff in season 3,” Zegen says. “It’s just, it’s actually just very sad.”
Tarantina was also known for roles in Gilmore Girls (created by Maisel‘s Amy Sherman-Palladino) and the 2019 Melissa McCarthy/Tiffany Haddish film The Kitchen.
Zegen isn’t the only Maisel star to mourn him. Alex Bornstein, his frequent scene partner as Midge’s manager Susie, posted an Instagram in her character’s curmudgeonly voice: “God damnit, Jackie, you f—ing f—. Thought you’d be the very last one to leave me. F—ck.”
And Midge herself posted the same still shot.
A post shared by Rachel Brosnahan (@rachelbrosnahan) on Nov 3, 2019 at 5:43am PST
“So deeply sad to hear about the passing of Brian Tarantina,” Rachel Brosnahan captioned her Instagram. “He was hilarious and talented and kind and an all around golden f—ing weirdo. Our family of weirds won’t be the same without him.”
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 3 begins streaming Dec. 6 on Amazon Prime; seasons 1 and 2 are available now.
