Tony Ganios, star of 80s cult film 'Porky's', dies 'suddenly' age 64 - fiancée pays tribute to her 'everything'

"Porky's" star Tony Ganios has died at the age of 64 of a heart attack.

The actor's fiancée, Amanda, told TMZ that Ganios, who was known for his role as Anthony 'Meat' Tuperello in the 1981 sex comedy and its sequels, died on Sunday (February 18) in hospital.

She told the publication that he had been taken into the New York hospital on Saturday (February 17) and was found to have been suffering a severe spinal cord infection. He went into surgery, but suffered a fatal heart attack the following day as he was recovering.

Amanda said Ganios was on his way to a dialysis treatment when he went into cardiac arrest, and TMZ also reported that he was experiencing organ failure too. Amanda added that his death "came so suddenly" and said that "she's absolutely shattered right now" before revealing that the pair were just planning their wedding last week.

She also revealed in a post on X that Ganios hadn't felt well prior to his death, but hid that from her "for days". Amanda, who had been in a relationship with the actor for around nine years, posted a tribute to her on her X page, @Pinkyrat87.

She wrote: "The last words we said to each other were "I love you." Love is an understatement. You are everything to me.  My heart, my soul and my best friend. #I love you #tonyganios." Alongside the words, she posted a black and white image of Ganios smiling at the camera.

In a follow-up post, she uploaded an image of the pair's hands entwined and wrote "I love you so much, my love. I'm broken."

Ganios starred in many cult films during his career, but he was best known for his lead role in the 1981 raunchy comedy "Porky's". The huge success of "Porky's" led to several sequels including "Porky's II: The Next Day" and "Porky's Revenge!", both of which he starred in.

Other film credits include "The Wanderers", "Back Roads", "Continental Divide," "Body Rock," "Die Hard 2," "Rising Sun," "The Taking of Beverly Hills". TV credits include "The Ring of the Musketeers," "Wiseguy," "The Equalizer" and "Scarecrow and Mrs. King."

Fans and friends of Ganios left tributes to him on Amanda's X post. One said: "Amanda, I'm truly sorry for the loss of the love of your life. I will always remember Tony from the Wanderers. He seemed like such a kind, gentle soul. My heart goes out to you. May he rest in peace." Amanda replied: "He was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. Thank you so much."

Another, making reference to his Porky's character said: "I'm so sorry for your loss. It was such a pleasure to "meat" Tony and let him know how much I loved his acting. My condolences are with you." She replied: "Thank you. I loved his acting, too. Love everything about him."

Her post also received a comment from one of Ganios' "Porky's" co-stars Jack Mulcahy, who played Frank. He wrote: "Amanda, it's Jack Mulcahy, friend and castmate of Tony's in the first two Porky's. I am so very sad to hear the news of his passing. Sending love and deepest condolences."