![]() ![]() In the earlier interview, Mekka said he was a shy schoolboy for much of his time at Burncoat. He graduated from Burncoat High School in 1970. Throughout his life, he remained fond of the city where he grew up on Francis Street. ![]() No cause has been listed, although a post on his Facebook page said he died peacefully. Mekka, 69, died Saturday at his home in California. "There was a girl in the show (`Fiddler') I really liked," he recalled during a 2011 interview with the Telegram & Gazette. On this sad day, if you’d like to pay your respects to those we’ve lost, we’ve created a gallery of soap greats who have passed away in 2021.WORCESTER - Eddie Mekka wasn't thinking about an acting career when he auditioned for a role in the Worcester County Light Opera Company production of "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1970. It seems that the year just wouldn’t let go without taking another of the greats from us. A genuinely good guy and purveyor of cheer whenever things got cheerless. RIP, Eddie.”Ī sad goodbye to Eddie Mekka this morning. Michael McKean, who played loveable greaser Lenny, tweeted, “A sad goodbye to Eddie Mekka this morning. Through it all, his legacy on Laverne & Shirley has never been forgotten, and friends and family have flooded social media with outpourings of grief and memories. Mekka didn’t stop working, though, appearing on stage, television and in movies up through 2018. Then, in 2011, he made one final soap appearance for a couple episodes of The Young and the Restless where he played a diner owner named Bud. His next daytime jump came in 1998 when he played a summons process server on Sunset Beach, though he got to have a bit more fun in 2005 when he played a Las Vegas minister marrying Thomas and Gaby on The Bold and the Beautiful. More: Revisit the much-missed Guiding Light But as Jenna straightened out, Grady was no longer needed. He came to Springfield with Jenna back in her jewel thief days in the recurring role of Grady, her thieving sidekick and fence. It was in 1992, though, that he first entered the soap world when he stopped by Guiding Light. Keep a close eye out in A League of Their Own, and you’ll see him dancing with Madonna. That time, though, he wasn’t playing carmine, but Joey Delucca, the younger cousin of The Big Ragoo.Īfter Laverne & Shirley ended in 1983, Mekka went on to other work in theater, television and even movies. As Carmine, Mekka crossed over a few times to sister show Happy Days, and also starred on the short-lived Happy Days spinoff, Blansky’s Beauties. But oh the marvelous memories… #EddieMekkaĪnd oh, the memories. But oh the marvelous memories…”Ī world-class talent who could do it all. His on-screen love, Cindy Williams, who played Shirley, took to Twitter to write “My darling Eddie, a world-class talent who could do it all. More: Beloved As The World Turns vet passes away Back in the ‘70s, it didn’t get much bigger than Laverne & Shirley. He was only 69, but his official Facebook account notes that he “passed away peacefully.” Carmine was his first big role, and the actor hit the ground running in 1976 with the show’s start and never looked back. The Big Ragoo passed away on November 27.Īctor Eddie Mekka, known to generations for playing Shirley’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Carmine “The Big Ragoo” Ragusa on Laverne & Shirley, has died Variety confirms. ![]()
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