West News Wire: According to the New York City medical examiner’s office, Frank Vallelonga Jr., an actor who starred in the Oscar-winning film “Green Book,” passed away due to an accidental fentanyl and cocaine overdose.
Vallelonga, 60, was discovered dead on a Bronx sidewalk in November. His body was reportedly seen by a 911 caller near a workplace.
Vallelonga was the son of Tony Lip, a former bouncer at Copacabana who was portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in the 2018 movie. Tony Lip was Frank Vallelonga Sr. A relative of Mortensen’s character was portrayed by Frank Vallelonga Jr. in the best picture-winning film.
On “The Sopranos,” among other acting roles, Vallelonga has appeared since 1994, according to the IMDb website.
A 35-year-old man was charged with concealment of a human corpse the day after Vallelonga’s body was found. Police at the time said there were no obvious signs of trauma to the body. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined Vallelonga died from “acute intoxication due to combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine.”
“Green Book” was based on a 1962 tour of the segregated Deep South by Black pianist Don Shirley and the elder Vallelonga, who was Shirley’s driver and bodyguard.
