John Aprea, the renowned actor, has passed away at the age of 83 in his Los Angeles home.
His manager, Will Levine, confirmed to TMZ that the actor died on Aug. 5, surrounded by his loving family.
It comes on the same week we lost The Notebook star Grace Rowlands, Great White singer Jack Russell and the death of America’s Got Talent star Perry Kurtz.
Born in New Jersey, Aprea moved to New York in the 60s to pursue his acting dreams. After achieving success on the East Coast, he relocated to Los Angeles and made a name for himself in Hollywood.
His notable appearances include roles in the Steve McQueen movie Bulitt and the 1981 NBC miniseries The Gangster Chronicles.
He also played iconic roles in Godfather II and the popular television series Full House.
In Full House, Aprea portrayed the father of John Stamos’ character, Nick Katsopolis. He reprised his role in the show’s revival, Fuller House, in 2017.
Interestingly, Aprea had auditioned for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, which was eventually played by Al Pacino. However, he still secured a role in the franchise as young Salvatore Tessio.
Despite establishing his legacy early in his career, Aprea continued to act in the following years. He played Jack Madison in the crime-drama series The Bay.
Gregori J. Martin, the show’s creator and showrunner, expressed his honor in working with Aprea in a statement from the show’s social media account: “It was such a great honor to have the privilege of working with an icon like John on The Bay.”
A former colleague, Paul Carafotes, mourned his friend: “I just heard that my old pal, friend passed away. We had lots of laughs. We met on the set of CBS television show Knots Landing, 1987. Many will miss this man! Rest old friend. I’ll see you on the other side.”
Meanwhile, a grief-stricken fan took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their sadness: “I’m so sorry to hear of John Aprea’s passing. This news was announced late Saturday night. I am just heartbroken to hear it, I just loved him so much.”
“I have always been a fan of his work and he was a true gentleman and absolute pro who brought some beautiful moments to the role of Jack in these later seasons. We will all miss him dearly.”
“I just heard that my old pal, friend passed away. We had lots of laughs. We met on the set of CBS television show Knots Landing, 1987. Many will miss this man! Rest old friend. I’ll see you on the other side.”
“I’m so sorry to hear of John Aprea’s passing. This news was announced late Saturday night. I am just heartbroken to hear it, I just loved him so much.”
