Abe Vigoda, who died today at age 94, was a big fan of Meredith Vieira, and the feeling was mutual. Vigoda would turn up on the Today show set during Vieira’s 5 years co-anchoring on the show, and he even danced along on her final show in June, 2011. This afternoon, Vieira tweeted her thoughts:
Abe Vigoda was one of the nicest guys in the business…talent with a capital "T" and so sweet. He always left me with a smile on my face.
— Meredith Vieira (@meredithvieira) January 26, 2016
Vigoda also dropped by on the morning of Sept. 8, 2014, when Vieira was filling in on Today ahead of the launch of her new daytime talk show. Watch:
Vigoda may have been best known for his roles in The Godfather as well as the ABC sitcoms Barney Miller and Fish. In the 1980s, there were mistaken reports of Vigoda’s death, which developed into a long-running joke. But, as even TMZ had to clarify, today’s news is not a hoax. And yes, the website abevigoda.com which would keep tabs on whether the actor was alive or not, has been updated to reflect, that he is not.