Brooklyn-born actor Tony Ganios, known for roles in cult movies such as “Porky’s” and “The Wanderers,” had died at the age of 64.
The actor’s fiancée, Amanda Serrano, confirmed Tuesday that Ganios died unexpectedly on Feb. 18 after falling ill days before.
In a social media post, Serrano explained that Ganios “hadn’t felt well” and “hid it” from her for several days. But on Saturday, he was taken to a hospital in New York, where he underwent emergency surgery after doctors discovered he had a “severely infected” spinal cord.
While the operation itself was successful, the ’80s film star reportedly went into cardiac arrest while en route to dialysis the following day, Serrano told TMZ.
“The last words we said to each other were ‘I love you,’” she wrote in an emotional Twitter post early Tuesday morning, accompanying a throwback photo of Ganios from his Hollywood heyday. “Love is an understatement. You are everything to me. My heart, my soul and my best friend.”
Ganios and Serrano had reportedly been together for at least nine years and were recently planning their wedding.
Born and raised in New York City, Ganios made his professional acting debut in 1979’s Philip Kaufman-helmed film “The Wanderers,” a coming-of-age drama about Italian teens from The Bronx circa 1963.
He went on to appear in the 1981 comedy “Continental Divide” starring John Belushi, before hitting his stride with “Porky’s” later that year.
As the character Anthony “Meat” Tuperello, Ganois became a fan favorite in the teen sex comedy that spawned two sequels — 1983’s “Porky’s II: The Next Day” and 1985’s “Porky’s Revenge.”
His other credits included small roles in “Die Hard 2” and “Ring of the Musketeers,” as well as his final role in 1993’s “Rising Sun,” starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.
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