'Porky's' Star Dies From Heart Attack Following Surgery: Tony Ganios Was 64

Ganios had been previously admitted to the hospital with a severe spinal cord infection.

By Stephen Andrew

Porky's star Tony Ganios has died. He was 64. According to TMZ, the actor had been admitted to a New York hospital over the weekend and it was discovered that he had a severe spinal cord infection. Ganios was taken into surgery on Saturday but died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack.

Ganios' fiancé, Amanda Serrano-Ganios, spoke to TMZ about the tragic situation, explaining that Ganios went into cardiac arrest while being taken to dialysis treatment on Sunday morning. The outlet noted that he was experiencing organ failure. Serrano-Ganios says that his death was very sudden and that she is "absolutely shattered." The two had been together for a couple for nearly a decade.

Over on X (formerly Twitter), Serrano-Ganios shared an old photo of Ganios, and wrote a heartfelt memorial. "The last words we said to each other were 'I love you,'" the post reads. "Love is an understatement. You are everything to me. My heart, my soul and my best friend. I love you Tony Ganios."

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Ganios was an actor during the '70s and '80s. His first film role was in director Philip Kaufman's The Wanderers, in 1979. However, he most famous for his role as Anthony 'Meat' Tuperello in the Porky's franchise. He originated the character in the 1981 film, and then returned for both Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) and Porky's Revenge!

In addition to the Porky's movies, Ganios also appeared in films like Die Hard 2, Body Rock, and The Taking of Beverly Hills. He also turned up in a few TV shows, such as Scarecrow and Mrs. King and The Equalizer. Ganios' final on-screen role came in 1993, when he ended his career how it began, with director Philip Kaufman in the action movie Rising Sun, starring Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, and Harvey Keitel.

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