by jamiebk » Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:58 am
Funny you ask..............
Reports of his death
In 1982, Vigoda enjoyed a little extra publicity when People magazine erroneously declared him dead. Vigoda took the error with good humor, posing for a photograph showing him sitting up in a coffin, holding the magazine in question. This rumor was nearly started again in 1987 when a reporter for Secaucus, New Jersey television station WWOR, Channel 9 erroneously referred to him as "the late Abe Vigoda." She corrected herself on the air the next day. His erroneous death has remained a running joke for Vigoda. For example, a "Late Night with David Letterman" skit showed Letterman trying to summon the ghost of Vigoda. Abe then walked in and declared, "I'm not dead, you idiot!" Also, a November 2006 Conan O'Brien sketch showed an audience member summoning the dead. The "deceased person" turned out to be Vigoda.
In 1999 Vigoda experienced a potentially life-threatening situation. While he was a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 180 from San Diego to New York, the plane experienced a burst compressed air line in the passenger cabin. Oxygen masks were deployed, and the plane made an emergency descent and landing in Palm Springs. Vigoda and five other passengers were listed as "slightly injured."
Mr. Vigoda now resides in Riverdale, in the northwest Bronx.
Jamie
"Leave it better than you found it"
