Wednesday, October 14, 2009

RIP - Al Martino and Captain Lou Albano

Al Martino (aka "Johnny Fontaine" from The Godfather) has died at 82, while Captain Lou has escaped the mortal coil at 76. Martino may have had a great singing career - I literally know nothing about it, which I suppose is a shame. That said, Johnny Fontaine was probably my second-favorite "secondary" character from The Godfather (after the baker who made the cake and helped Michael scare off Tattaglia's men). As for Captain Lou, he will rightly be remembered for his wrestling career and his associations with Cyndi Lauper. That said, he'll also always have a fond place in my heart as I watched his live-action Super Mario Brothers TV show as a child in the late 80s. I'm sure the show is really terrible (something a simple viewing of the show's intro has more than confirmed). I'd rather remember Albano, and Martino, fondly as minor-but-beloved pop culture figures from my youth.