Frank Vallelonga Jr cause of death revealed: 'Green Book' actor died of fentanyl and cocaine overdose
BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: Authorities revealed on Monday, April 8, that the cause of the death of actor Frank Vallelonga Jr is an accidental overdose of fentanyl and cocaine. According to police, the ‘Green Book’ actor’s dead body was found on November 28, 2022, outside a sheet metal manufacturing factory in Hunts Point. While the cause of his death was not revealed back then, it was suspected by the authorities that he died from an overdose of a drug and his body was dumped from a vehicle.
On November 28, authorities discovered his body after a passerby called 911 to inform them about the dead body. The Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday declared that his death was accidental and the cause of death was an “acute intoxication due to combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine,” reports New York Post.
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Events following Vallelonga Jr’s death
Following his death, Daily Mail reported that a person called Steven Smith, 35, was detained and accused of concealing a human corpse a day later. Smith subsequently admitted to the crime while being questioned by police for having been involved in another case, according to the police, who claimed to have video proof of him throwing the corpse of the actor from a moving vehicle.
According to Smith, a woman by the name of "Pam" approached him and begged him to assist her in getting rid of an overdose victim's body. Smith's criminal case is yet undetermined as of this writing.
In the initial criminal complaint, Smith was described as having "walked to the passenger's side of the vehicle and pulled a human corpse out of the passenger's seat and dropped the body onto the sidewalk."
Smith later told the authorities, “That dude was already dead. He overdosed. I didn't have anything to do with that. Pam came up to me and said someone overdosed in the car. I went to the car and drove off. I can't remember which way,” before adding, “I went to Barrett where I dropped the body. I got the body out by pulling him out of the car on the floor. I don't know the guy at all.”
Who was Frank Vallelonga Jr?
Frank Vallelonga Jr was the son of actor Frank Vallelonga Sr, better known as Tony Lip (of ‘All In’, ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Goodfellas’ fame). Vallelonga Jr’s big break came in 2019 when he starred in the movie ‘Green Book’ co-written by his brother Nick Vallelonga. ‘Green Book’ is the dramatized version of Tony Lip’s life while he accompanied African American pianist Don Shirley in his 1962 tour of the Deep South. Viggo Mortensen played the role of Lip, who was the driver and bodyguard of Don Shirley. Vallelonga Jr essayed the role of his uncle Rudy Vallelonga. The movie went on to win an Academy Award in 2019.
He also appeared in one episode of ‘The Sopranos’. He also appeared in one episode each of 'The Neighborhood' and 'Gravesend'. Before his death, he was reportedly working on a film called ‘That’s Amore’ along with his brother, Nick. Vallelonga Jr has films like 'The Birthday Cake' and 'A Brilliant Disguise' credited to his name.
