Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inbox We have more newsletters Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inbox We have more newsletters The Godfather Part II star John Aprea has died aged 83, with tributes pouring in to the American actor. John was best known for starring as Salvatore Tessio in the Godfather sequel, which is often hailed as one of the greatest films of all time. The 1974 epic crime drama tells the story of how Robert De Niro 's Vito Corleone founded the family's business in the early 1900s and how his son Michael ( Al Pacino ) is protecting his legacy in the 1950s.
John died on August 5 of natural causes, with his manager announcing his death, The Hollywood Reporter reports. He was living in Los Angeles at the time of his death. John is survived by his third wife Betsy, who he was married to for 25 years, as well as his daughter Nicole and stepchildren Valentino and Marika.
He originally auditioned for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather after serving director Francis Ford Coppola in a bar. While he lost out to Al Pacino, he landed the role of mobster Tessio in the sequel. Playing the younger version of Abe Vigoda's character in the sequel, John reached out to the actor for advice and was reportedly told: "I don't know what I did.
Just have a good time, kid." John began acting in the late 1960s, making his film debut in 1960's Bullitt alongside Steve McQueen. He went onto .