Beverly Hills, 90210 star Joe E Tata has died aged 85.
The actor is best known for his role as Nat Bussichio in the hit show, which ran from 1990 to 2000.
News of Tata’s death was announced by his long-time co-star Ian Ziering on Instagram.
Ziering – who played Steve Sanders in the show – shared a photo of Tata from his time on 90210 as well as a more recent picture of the pair together.
Alongside the post, he wrote: “In the last few months we’ve lost Jessica Klein, one of 90210’s most prolific writers and producers, Denise Douse, who played Mrs Teasley, and now I’m very sad to say Joe E Tata has passed away.”
In 2018, Tata was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His daughter, Kelly, launched a GoFundMe campaign asking fans for contributions to the actor’s medical bills.
Sharing the news of Tata’s death on Instagram, Ziering wrote: “Joey was truly an OG, I remember seeing him on the Rockford Files with James Garner years before we worked together on 90210. He was often one of the background villains in the original Batman series.”
Before starring in 90210, Tata appeared in eight episodes of The Rockford Files in the Seventies.
Ziering described Tata as “one of the happiest people” he has worked with, adding that the actor was “as generous with his wisdom as he was with his kindness”.
Referencing the fictional diner made famous by the series, Ziering wrote: “Though The Peach Pit was a 90210 set, it often felt like the backdrop to the Joe E Tata show.”
Tata played Nat, the owner of the Peach Pit, from 1990 until 2000. He later reprised his role on the show’s spin-off.
He first rose to fame thanks to his role as Private Neddick in the 1964 comedy series No Time for Sergeants.
