Eddie Mekka, who found fame playing Carmine “The Big Ragoo” Ragusa, on the hit series “Laverne & Shirley,” died Saturday at his home in Newhall, California, according to his official Facebook account.
He was 69.
No details on his cause of death were made immediately available.
Ragusa played Shirley’s love interest on the show.
Cindy Williams, who played Shirley, tweeted this, “My darling Eddie, A world-class talent who could do it all. I love you dearly. I’ll miss you so much. But oh the marvelous memories.”
My darling Eddie,
A world-class talent who could do it all. I love you dearly. I'll miss you so much. But oh the marvelous memories…https://t.co/ZmBFpBxc4m #EddieMekka— Cindy Williams (@Cindy_Williams1) December 2, 2021
Actor Michael McKean, who played Lenny Kosnowski on the show, also tweeted about the death of his co-star: “A sad goodbye to Eddie Mekka this morning. A genuinely good guy and purveyor of cheer whenever things got cheerless. Value these people. RIP, Eddie.”
A sad goodbye to Eddie Mekka this morning. A genuinely good guy and purveyor of cheer whenever things got cheerless. Value these people. RIP, Eddie.
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) December 2, 2021
The hit series ran on ABC from 1976-1983.
A Massachusetts native, he moved to Los Angeles and ended up garnering a Tony nomination for his lead role in “The Lieutenant” on Broadway in 1975.
In 1992, he had a small role in the movie “A League of Their Own,” in which he notably danced with Mae Mordabito, the female baseball player portrayed by Madonna.
Mekka also had scores of TV and film roles, including on “The Love Boat,” “Family Matters,” “Guiding Light,” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”