It has been confirmed that one of the most memorable cast members from the Beverly Hills, 90210 series has passed away.
Joe E. Goodbye, who played Nat, the sympathetic proprietor of the Peach Pit on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” passed on, as per his daughter. He was at the fine age of 85 when he was pronounced dead. His daughter, Kelly Tata shared the news Thursday in a public statement on a GoFundMe page she had begun recently corresponding to her dad’s care.
“I am devastated to report that my father Joe E. Tata passed away peacefully last night,” Tata wrote on the GoFundMe. “My father and I are forever grateful for the love and support of family, friends, and fans.”
The cause of death or any details as to what happened to her dad has not been revealed yet. However, it was known that her dad had been determined to have Alzheimer’s disease in 2018, as per Tata.
Ian Ziering, Joe E. Goodbye’s long-lasting “90210” costar, honored his late partner on the social media giant Instagram where he made a statement in which he said:
“Joey was truly an OG, I remember seeing him on the Rockford files with James Garner years before we worked together on 90210. He was often one of the background villains in the original Batman series. One of the happiest people I’ve ever worked with, he was as generous with his wisdom as he was with his kindness. Though the peach pit was a 90210 set, It often felt like the backdrop to the Joe E Tata show,” Ziergin wrote.
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Tata’s lengthy acting career included roles in the television series “Batman,” “Lost In Space,” “The Outer Limits,” and most recently “Mystery Girls” back in 2014.
He played Nat for 10 seasons of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” from 1990 until 2000, and later reprised the role for the CW spin-off series “90210” in 2008. However, he is best known for playing Peach Pit diner owner in the long-time series.
“Nat was a loving father figure to the kids of West Beverly High,” Kelly Tata wrote of her father. “In real life, my Dad, Joey, is honest, kind, and a truly incredible father.”
Many stars on the show responded to the news on Instagram, honoring the late entertainer.
Sharing a nostalgic collage of photographs of her and Tata as the years progressed, Tori Spelling stated, “We lost our family and good friend, Joe E. Tata 💔…”
She recalled him as being “one of the kindest, funniest, most professional, amazing humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and more importantly being friends with in my entire life.”
Of his great sense of humor, Spelling said Tata’s “delivery was always spot on. He kept us in stitches.”
Comparing Tata to her genuine dad Aaron, who passed away in 2006, Spelling referred to the initial photograph in her Instagram post — in which Tata’s Nat strolled with Spelling’s Donna Martin down the aisle on the show. Spelling said that was a proposal she gave the writers. “It meant a lot to me. Personally and professionally. Based on our close real-life friendship and the fact he was a fun, caring, loyal, and protective male role model to me this was as it should be.”
His daughter is devastated along with many others who were close to him. One thing is for sure, he will be missed by many individuals from his direct family to those he interacted with and close friends and to those who enjoyed him on screen.