MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

How did Frank Pesce die? 'Beverly Hills Cop' actor dead at 75

'To say Frank was one of a kind would be an understatement,' producer David Permut said of the late actor

Frank Pesce, who was known for roles in blockbuster films such as 'Beverly Hills Cop' and 'Top Gun', died of dementia complications on February 6 in Burbank, California, according to his fiancée Tammy Scher. Pesce, who was born in New York City, has also acted in films like 'Midnight Run', 'Miami Vice', 'Matlock', and 'Kojak'. He was also known to be a longstanding buddy of Sylvester Stallone, Tony Danza, and the late Robert Forster, among others.

The actor, who was born on December 8, 1946 in New York City, became acquainted with Stallone while working on his early films such as 'Rocky' and 'Paradise Alley'. The character actor found roles in major films like 'American Gigolo' and 'Flashdance,' in which he portrayed a bar regular.

READ MORE

Chadwick Boseman death: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris pay tribute to 'Black Panther' actor who 'inspired generations'

Who was Mary Wilson's son Rafael? Supremes star's son, 14, died when Jeep she drove veered off course in 1994

According to the website, Pesce would frequently claim, "They make movies about me." His partner told the website that the sentence would be engraved on his tombstone. '29th Street,' a film on his early life, starring Anthony LaPaglia, Danny Aiello, Lainie Kazan, and Pesce as his real-life brother Vito, was released in 1991. Pesce's most recent big-screen appearance was in the 2015 thriller 'Creed,' in which he played Mickey's gym doorman.

"To say Frank was one of a kind would be an understatement," producer David Permut said of the late actor in a statement to Deadline. "We shared our love and passion for film. He claimed to see more movies than Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert combined," Permut concluded.

Vito Pesce, his nieces Vanessa and Danielle Pesce, and his sister-in-law Catherine Pesce are the surviving members of his family. According to Deadline, he will be laid to rest on February 18 at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx.

There were a lot of people extending their condolences to Frank Pesce. According to one of the tweets, "Just reminiscing about that one time @kunz and I filmed Frank Pesce and Bill Lustig randomly eating dinner for an hour as a special feature for KILLER FISH.🍴"

Another tweet read, "RIP Frank Pesce. Every Christmas Eve, we watch 29th Street, eat pizza and buy a lottery ticket. You brought so much joy to so many through your body of work." ending with a #FrankPesce