Spike Lee is mourning the death of his Do The Right Thing co-star and friend, Danny Aiello. The 86-year-old actor passed away at a New Jersey hospital on Thursday (Dec. 12) following a brief illness.
“I am heartbroken,” Lee captioned a snapshot with Aiello taken from Do The Right Thing. “Just found out my brother Danny Aiello made his transition last night. Danny, we made cinema history together with Do the Right Thing. May you rest in paradise.”
Lee followed up the touching post with multiple photos of Aiello over the years. Aiello portrayed, Sal, a Brooklyn pizza shop owner and boss of Lee’s character, Mookie. Lee wrote, directed, starred in and produced Do the Right Thing, which earned Aiello an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting actor and a nod for Best Screenplay.
Aiello, a native New Yorker, broke into the film world in the 1970s. His acting credits include, The Godfather Part II, Harlem Nights, Once Upon a Time in America, Moostruck.
“It is with profound sorrow to report that Danny Aiello, beloved husband, father, grandfather, actor and musician passed away last night after a brief illness. The family asks for privacy at this time read a statement on Aiello’s Facebook page. A public memorial service for Aiello will be held next Thursday (Dec. 19) afternoon at The Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York City.
In honor of Aiello’s character, Sal’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn will give out 300 slices of pizza to customers on Friday, so long as they follow a few steps.
Read all the details in Lee’s Instagram post below.