8:22 AM PT<\/strong> \u2014 Cher just tweeted about Danny\u2019s death, saying, \u201cGoodbye Dear Danny Aiello. Danny was a great actor, but a genius comedic actor. We laughed so much. Making Moonstruck \u2026 It was one of the happiest times in my life & He was a part of that happy time. Goodbye Johnny Cammareri. *Kiss* Loretta.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n 8:09 AM PT<\/strong> \u2014 A rep for Danny\u2019s family tells us, \u201cIt is with profound sorrow to report that Danny Aiello, beloved husband, father, grandfather, actor and musician passed away last night after a brief illness. The family asks for privacy at this time. Service arrangements will be announced at a later date.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Veteran actor Danny Aiello<\/strong> \u2014 known for his scene-stealing supporting roles in many acclaimed movies since the \u201970s \u2014 died Thursday night \u2026 TMZ has learned.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n According to his family \u2026 Danny passed away at a medical facility in New Jersey where he was being treated for a sudden illness. We\u2019re told he suffered an infection related to his treatment. Danny\u2019s family had come to visit him Thursday, and we\u2019re told he died shortly after they\u2019d left that evening.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Aiello, a native New Yorker, broke into movies in the early \u201970s by landing a small role in the Robert De Niro<\/strong><\/a> baseball drama, \u201cBang the Drum Slowly.\u201d He followed it up by playing Tony Rosato in \u201cThe Godfather: Part II\u201d \u2026 in which he delivered the famous line, \u201cMichael Corleone says hello!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n Danny would go on to earn praise in several hit films in the \u201980s, like \u201cFort Apache the Bronx\u201d with Paul Newman<\/strong>, \u201cOnce Upon a Time in America,\u201d \u201cThe Purple Rose of Cairo\u201d and \u201cMoonstruck\u201d opposite Cher<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n He gained massive critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination \u2014 for Best Supporting Actor \u2014 as Sal, the pizza joint owner, in Spike Lee<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s 1989 film, \u201cDo the Right Thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Danny also acted on Broadway, and had a singing career. He released several albums with a big band sound \u2026 including \u201cLive from Atlantic City\u201d in 2008.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Danny is survived by 3 children and his wife Sandy<\/strong>, to whom he was married since 1955.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n He was 86.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n RIP<\/p>\n<\/section>\n