Joe E. Tata, best known for his portrayal of Peach Pit restaurant owner Nat Bussichio on Beverly Hills, 90210, has died. He was 86.
Tata’s daughter Kelly verified the news on the GoFundMe page she set up in October to seek funds for her father’s failing health.
Kelly previously disclosed that her father was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2018, and she added on Thursday’s GoFundMe update, “The remaining cash earned from this campaign will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.”
Joe E. Tata was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018. He passed away on August 25, 2022 aged 85.
On Thursday, former 90210 co-star Ian Ziering commented on Instagram about Tata’s death.
Ziering paid a heartfelt homage to Tata, noting that her passing happened after the cast and crew had recently lost two other members of their 90210 family.
Ian Ziering said,
“In the last few months we’ve lost Jessica Klein, one of 90210’s most prolific writers and producers, Denise [Dowse] who played Mrs. Teasley, and now I’m very sad to say Joe E Tata has passed away,”
he wrote beside two photos of Tata.
“Joey was truly an OG,” Ziering continued. “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.”
“One of the happiest people I’ve ever worked with, he was as generous with his wisdom as he was with his kindness,” Ziering noted. “Though the peach pit was a 90210 set, It often felt like the backdrop to the Joe E Tata show. The stories of days gone by that he would share, incredible experiences in the entertainment industry that he was a part of would keep us all captivated.”
From 1990 until 2000, he featured in 238 episodes of “90210” as Nat Bussichio, the owner of the cafe where the high schoolers would congregate.
Tata appeared in multiple episodes of the show’s spinoff.
“Magnum, P.I.,” “The Rockford Files,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Batman,” and “The A-Team” are among his other credits.
