Frank Tartaglia: Philly filmmaker, 45, dies 'in sleep' on Thanksgiving, family says he was in 'good health'
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: South Philly filmmaker and co-owner of Connie’s Ric Rac club, Frank Tartaglia, died at the age of 45. He had been in good health and had been looking forward to the success of his new movie, according to family members, who expressed their astonishment at his unexpected death.
Tartaglia unexpectedly died in his sleep on Thanksgiving Day at his South Philadelphia home only a few weeks after his first significant film earned positive reviews at the Philadelphia festival's opening night. The family said they do not know the cause of death yet, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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The death of the writer, director, comedian, painter, singer, and arts enthusiast who initially found fame in show business as a child performer resulted in an outpouring of grief and remembrances online. He was praised for his never-ending creativity, kind disposition, and gregarious demeanor as well as for his candor about the difficulties of leading a creative life and his unwavering support for others who followed the same path. Pennsylvania Burial Company made a public announcement on Tartaglia’s passing on Thursday, November 24, 2022. His death comes after the death of his brother, Joseph Tartaglia, who died in 2013, at 44, after a six-month long battle with brain cancer.
"That spirit, that energy, the color they brought to the entire neighborhood —it’s irreplaceable," said Peter Pelullo, who co-owned the Ric Rac with Frank and Joseph Tartaglia. The club closed permanently in 2021 during the pandemic. "There is never going to be another Frankie — his whole spirit was creative." Frank wrote for Squirt TV on MTV when he was still a teenager. South Philadelphia served as the backdrop for the indie 1998 film 'Punctuality', which Frank and Joseph also co-produced. It was shown at film festivals.
James Doolittle, a Philly producer and longtime friend said, "He was endlessly fascinating, a Dickens character straight out of South Philly, full of droll self-awareness and a never-ending knack for helping to amplify the creative spark of hundreds of dreamers who wandered in and out of Connie’s Ric Rac over the years." "He was everyone’s best audience," added his oldest childhood friend, Jordan Shapiro.