Local Man Finds Little Solace in Abe Vigoda's Death
January 26, 2016
Ridgewood, Queens. It was 1972 when then 19 year old Wayne Spitz and his friends formed a “dead pool” in their dormitory at Stony Brook University, a contest to predict which celebrity would be the first to die. At the time, Spitz thought he had selected the sure winner.
On Tuesday, his selection finally died – forty-four years later, almost to the day. “By the laws of nature, Abe Vigoda should have been dead and buried decades ago,” said Spitz, who works at a lumber yard in Ridgewood, Queens, “I cannot for the life of me understand how a man who was basically on his last leg in 1972 could walk the Earth for another, what, forty plus years? I mean, Tessio was really, really old. Wasn’t he? Was I watching a different movie?”
After many years, these are the questions that still haunt Spitz, who admits he finds little solace in Vigoda’s death Tuesday from natural causes, “Am I happy he’s dead? That’s a complicated question. There have been movie stars who have been born, grew up, had long and productive acting careers, and passed away from natural causes, all during the time since Abe Vigoda played Tessio in Godfather One. I mean, was this guy a fucking Highlander?”
For Spitz, even Vigoda’s post-Godfather body of work only raises more questions. “Didn’t he play John Travolta’s father in Looks Who’s Talking One? He had like Alzheimer’s disease in that movie, for Christ’s sake! And even that was, what – Jesus – twenty-seven years ago?!”
Spitz still remembers the day when his friend, Charlie Bumpers, suggested that Spitz and their six mutual friends in G-Quad start a “dead pool” to predict which public figure would be the first to die. “We all put in our five dollars. For me, yeah, I had considered some other guys, Elvis, Mama Cass, Sid Vicious, but Vigoda seemed like such a mortal lock. I mean, it was almost unfair.”
Bumpers, who cashed in on the pool shortly after graduation when Elvis Presley was found dead in his home, recalls Spitz’s pick well. “Oh, I remember. How could anyone forget? Wayne picked Vigoda with the first pick and then ran around the room dancing and strutting and asking everyone for their money up front, saying that Vigoda would be lucky if he lasted through the week. I was 19 at the time. I now have eleven grandchildren.”
“I don’t know if he held out as long as he did because of Wayne, but God bless Vigoda for a long and productive life. Between you and me, I was beginning to think he was going to outlive Wayne. Now that … that would have been hilarious.”
