The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actor Brian Tarantina died after overdosing on drugs including fentanyl and heroin, officials have ruled.
Tarantina, who found fame late in life playing comedy club compere Jackie at the Gaslight comedy club where Midge Maisel performs on the hit Amazon Prime Video comedy, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment last month (Nov19).
According to TMZ, officials from the New York City Chief Medical Examiner’s office have now ruled his death accidental, after finding that he died from acute intoxication after taking a cocktail of drugs including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and Diazepam (Valium).
When officers and paramedics discovered the 60-year-old’s body, they found a white powdery substance nearby, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Before landing his star-making role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tarantina was a familiar face on screen, appearing in small roles in a number of TV shows and films including Carlito’s Way, Donnie Brasco, Uncle Buck, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Sopranos, ER, NYPD Blue and Miami Vice.
The comedy show’s star, Rachel Brosnahan, paid tribute to Tarantina after his death by writing on Instagram: “So deeply sad to hear about the passing of Brian Tarantina. He was hilarious and talented and kind and an all around golden f—ing weirdo. Our family of weirds won’t be the same without him.”