'Maisel,' 'Gilmore Girls' actor Brian Tarantina dies at 60
Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Brian Tarantina's representative said The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls actor has died at age 60.
"Brian had been ill lately," a spokesperson for Tarantina told People.com in confirming his death. "He was recently in the hospital and was in the process of recuperating from what I believe to be a heart-related issue."
The actor was found dead early Saturday on the couch in his Manhattan apartment.
"You can't describe a guy like Brian, you just had to be there. And lucky for us, we were. We love him and will forever miss him," the official Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Twitter feed said.
"For over 25 years, Brian Tarantina has been in our lives. He was in Amy's first pilot. And he's been in every significant thing we've done since," writer-directors Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino said in a joint statement to Deadline.com. "He came in with that voice and that timing and he made every scene better. And weirder. Every moment was completely unique. You can't describe a guy like Brian, you just had to be there. And lucky for us, we were. We love him and will forever miss him."
The actor played Jackie on Maisel and Bootsy on Gilmore Girls. His other credits include One Life to Live, Law & Order, Blue Bloods, The Sopranos, Heroes, The Blacklist, BlacKkKlansman and The Kitchen.
The medical examiner's office in New York is expected to perform an autopsy to determine the official cause of his death.