Angela Raiola, who played the brash New York bartender “Big Ang” on “Mob Wives,” passed away early Thursday morning after a courageous battle with cancer of the brain, throat, and lungs, according to the show’s producer. At 55 years old, she was elderly.
Raiola “passed peacefully surrounded by friends and family,” Jennifer Graziano, executive producer of the VH1 series, said in a statement. “Her presence brought sheer happiness to anyone that was around her and I am honored to have called her a friend.”
Friend Vinnie Medugno also took to her official Twitter account to report her death. He tweeted a tribute to her that echoed her carefree spirit: “I’m not here for a long time, I’m here for a good time!” In March 2015, Raiola received her initial diagnosis of throat cancer. It progressed to her lungs and brain.
I’m not here for a long time, I’m here for a good time! -Big Ang
Everything with you was… https://t.co/AI3dBFRaeT
— Vinnie Medugno (@VinnieMedugno) February 18, 2016
While battling the illness, the original New Yorker maintained her character as the frank and eccentric host of “Mob Wives” and its reality series offshoots “Big Ang” and “Miami Monkey.” Several members of her family, such as her sister Janine and son Anthony, became famous TV personalities alongside her.
“I’m not here for a long time, I’m here for a good time!”
Raiola, whose 6-foot height earned her the nickname “Big Ang,” spoke to host Mehmet Oz in a prerecorded section of Tuesday’s “Dr. Oz” show about her efforts to maintain a positive outlook in the face of the failure of chemotherapy and radiation to control her cancer.
Her signature long black hair was gone, replaced by a short blond style, and she had previously undergone multiple surgeries. “I can feel the immense need that my children and grandchildren have for me,” Raiola stated, her distinctive raspy voice betraying her age.
On Staten Island, where Raiola had previously operated the Drunken Monkey club until it shut down, she resided with her daughter Raquel’s family. According to the late Salvatore “Sally Dogs” Lombardi, a rumored commander of the Genovese crime family, Raiola’s uncle had her cast in the 2012–2013 season of the TV show, therefore she wasn’t technically a mafia wife.
Raiola claimed she quit smoking immediately following her initial cancer diagnosis last year; she had smoked for 40 years prior. She urged others to stop smoking or at least not start, saying that her physicians had informed her that smoking was “positively” the cause of her illness.
In an interview with Oz, Raiola revealed that her sister and brother-in-law were pillars of support, but that her husband, Neil Murphy, had left her. Funeral plans are still in the works. On Twitter, the other cast members of “Mob Wives,” which is in the midst of its sixth season, expressed their sympathies:
RIP ANGELA .. FOREVER IN MY ❤
— Renee Graziano (@reneegraziano) February 18, 2016
#RIPMyFriend I love you. https://t.co/XosBhMbblI In my heart is where I will keep you.
— Drita Davanzo (@DritaDavanzo) February 18, 2016
To get up-to-date information on local obituaries, autopsy results, and causes of death, go to lakecountyfloridanews.com.
The following details are relevant to the demise of other famous people:
- Lee Sun Kyun Death: “Parasite” Star’s Tragic Demise Shocks South Korea!
- Laura Lynch Death: The Impactful Journey of Laura Lynch!
