Hello to many who might already know of the passing of one of San Pedro’s beloved Italian immigrant citizens “Tony Pirozzi” (aka “TV Tony), August 13 at 82 years old.
Echoing the sentiments of my colleague co-producer Jack Baric who sent out this message(c. Aug. 14):
It’s a very sad day in San Pedro. One of the all-time greats of the Italian American community has passed away. Tony Pirozzi was a kind man who loved his family, his heritage, and the game of soccer. I will miss huddling with him at family parties to talk about the Italian and Croatian soccer teams!
My deepest condolence to my great friend Anthony Pirozzi and to the rest of the family, especially Mr. Pirozzi’s dear, Cookie. May Tony rest in peace and God bring comfort to his family and all his friends. Forza Italia!
Knowing “TV Tony” personally for decades – he was the only one who could fix our “real” (analog) televisions, and if he couldn’t they were ready for TV heaven – and sharing his appreciation of his ethnic roots and promoting Italian culture he was always so pleasant, upbeat, and insightful. His son and namesake Anthony Pirozzi demonstrates those qualities; and we are so proud that we were able to include them both in the SOLAHA project (Vol. I for Tony; volume II Anthony) – the first father son “duet” – and with Tony’s passing this emphasizes how important it is to capture stories for posterity.