Rick Aiello, an actor who appeared in films including Do the Right Thing, Harlem Nights and A Brooklyn State of Mind alongside his father, the late Oscar-nominated actor Danny Aiello, has died. He was 65.
Aiello died Monday of pancreatic cancer in a hospital in Warwick, New York, his wife, Arlene, told The Hollywood Reporter. His brother Danny III, a stuntman who doubled for his dad in Do the Right Thing (1989) and was a stunt coordinator on FX’s Rescue Me, also succumbed to pancreatic cancer; he died in 2010 at age 53.
Danny Aiello, known for his turn as Sal the pizza-joint owner in Do the Right Thing and for portraying Cher’s lovelorn suitor in Moonstruck (1987), died in December 2019 at 86.
Rick Aiello also worked with his father on the 1997-98 CBS series Dellaventura, playing the muscle at the firm owned by Danny Aiello’s cop-turned-private eye, and in other films like The Closer (1990), 29th Street (1991), Brooklyn Lobster (2005) and Reach Me (2014).
He portrayed New York cops for Spike Lee in Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever (1991) and Clockers (1995) and showed up on episodes of L.A. Law; NYPD Blue; The Sopranos; Walker, Texas Ranger; Sex and the City; Law & Order: Criminal Intent; Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me; and Ugly Betty.
In addition to his wife, survivors include his children, Ricky Jr. and Tori; brother Jamie; sister Stacey; and mother Sandy.
