Joe Marinelli, who starred on General Hospital and The Morning Show alongside Jennifer Aniston, died on June 22 at the age of 68.
The beloved soap opera star's wife of nearly 34 years, musician Jean Marinelli, confirmed his death to The Hollywood Reporter.
Cause of death
Marinelli died in Burbank, California, from stomach cancer, his wife revealed. His agent, Julie Smith, told CNN that he had been living with throat and stomach cancer for a few years before his death.
The late actor was well known for his work on various soap operas. Alongside General Hospital, he starred in NBC's Santa Barbara and CBS's Guiding Light.
He also appeared on popular shows including Cagney & Lacey, Hill Street Blues, and L.A. Law in the mid-1980s, and his film credits include Alexander Payne's 2004 film Sideways.
© WireImage"The great Joe Marinelli acted in my very first movie at film school 40 years ago and again in Sideways," Payne told THR. "Aside from being an extraordinary artist, he was a uniquely magnificent human being with a heart as big as the ocean."
Marinelli most recently starred on AppleTV+'s The Morning Show, which also stars Reese Witherspoon.
© Apple TVPaying tribute to the late actor, his Morning Show castmate, Mark Duplass, who plays The Morning Show executive producer Chip Black, said on X: "Joe Marinelli lived in rare air. Generous performer, beautiful human, wide-eyed positivist.
"I got to know him shooting The Morning Show. We taught classes together. We talked about nothing and everything in between takes."
© Getty ImagesHe added: "We cut right to the important stuff on Day 1 of meeting. I will miss him dearly. And I will try to live my life a bit more like he lived his. We all should."
Tributes from Marinelli's other co-stars have poured in, with his Santa Barbara castmate, Leigh J. McCloskey, writing on social media: "A sweeter man or a dearer friend you could not find than Joe Marinelli. I knew Joe was sick and so admired his indefatigable spirit throughout what sounded like a very difficult, if not impossible, ordeal."
© Alamy Stock PhotoHe continued: "Joe was a champion. He was a great acting partner, teacher, philosophical friend, passionate believer in people, and a storyteller extraordinaire that with laughter and depth revealed the human spirit so beautifully and in so many different ways.
"He has a beautiful, incredibly talented family that reflects his love of music and art and with his amazing wife Jean, together they always radiated generous and noble hearts."
Marinelli is survived by his wife and his sons, Vincent, a film editor and writer, and David, a musician and songwriter.
