LOS ANGELES — Eddie Mekka, who played Carmine on the TV show “Laverne & Shirley,” has died, according to reports on social media and TMZ. He was 69 years old.
Pat Benti, Mekka’s friend and classmate at Berklee College of Music, posted on Facebook that Mekka “passed away peacefully in his Newhall, California home on Saturday, November 27, 2021.”
“It is with deep regret that we share with you the passing of our beloved Eddie Mekka,” Benti wrote on Facebook.
Mekka played Carmine “The Big Ragu” Ragusa for the entire run of “Laverne & Shirley” from 1976 to 1983 and appeared on episodes of “Family Matters,” “The Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island.” Mekka was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in “The Lieutenant.”
Actor Michael McKeon, who worked with Mekka on “Laverne & Shirley” and played Lenny, posted today on Twitter remembering Mekka as “A genuinely good guy and purveyor of cheer whenever things got cheerless.”
Source: Orange County Register
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