Veteran character actor Joe Marinelli has died aged 68 following a battle with stomach cancer, his wife has confirmed. Marinelli, a former carpenter, charmed audiences with his portrayal of crossdressing mobster Bunny Tagliatti on NBC soap opera Santa Barbara from 1988-1990 delivering a mix of humor and pathos as the flamboyant yet morally complex gangster. The role became his breakout, leading to other soap opera appearances, including Guiding Light (1993) and General Hospital (1999-2001). More recently, he returned to screens as TV director Donny Spagnoli on the Apple TV hit The Morning Show, starring alongside Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon who played presenters on the fictional daytime show. “We lost a great one,” tweeted Mark Duplass, who starred alongside Marinelli on The Morning Show. “Joe Marinelli lived in rare air. Generous performer, beautiful human, wide-eyed positivist. I will miss him dearly. And I will try to live my life a bit more like he lived his. We all should.” The actor’s wife Jean Marinelli confirmed his death to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, and told the outlet the couple had never had a single fight in 34 years of marriage.
We lost a great one. Joe Marinelli lived in rare air. Generous performer, beautiful human, wide-eyed positivist. I got to know him shooting The Morning Show. We taught classes together. We talked about nothing and everything in between takes. We cut right to the important stuff…
— Mark Duplass (@MarkDuplass) June 25, 2025
Read it at The Hollywood Reporter
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