Report: Tony Danza Yells At Priest During Funeral

By Jett Wells Posted Nov 17th 2010 01:46PM

Funerals are never easy for anyone, but on Nov. 11, Tony Danza was apparently very tense at the ceremony memorializing writer Philip Carlo. In the middle of the eulogy, a dissatisfied Danza allegedly flipped out on the priest at the Peter C. La Bella Funeral Home in Brooklyn, a witness told the New York Post.

"Tony, who was one of Carlo's closest friends, walked right up to the priest and said angrily, 'Excuse me, but this is not about you. It's supposed to be about my friend, and if you can't do that, maybe you should let someone else speak!'" the source claimed.

According to the report, the priest was a substitute from a federal prison and was visibly disturbed by Danza's outburst.

"People were stunned, while the priest was visibly shaken," the source said. "He tried talking about Carlo before quickly wrapping things up. Danza took over and eulogized Carlo with memories from their younger days."

Guests included big names like Mickey Rourke, Chuck Zito, Danny Aiello and John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia.

Carlo died of Lou Gehrig's disease on Nov. 8 at age 61. He was best known for his bestselling biographies of mobsters and killers, including Richard "The Night Stalker" Ramirez and Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski.

Tags: tony danza

Comments

(112)

Wednesday 17 November

By K

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You were not there, so hush. You don't know what was said. For anyone to get up and disrupt a service is pretty bad but then we don't know what was being said...maybe it was called for.

By Jane T.

Baloney! I congratulate Tony for having the guts to do what he did. I have sat through countless speechifying events at funerals. Half the time the priest mispronounces the name of the deceased or calls him/her by the wrong first name. A funeral is a remembrance for the dead person, not an opportunity for a priest to push a particular personal religious agenda!

By James and Elena

You know, grief can make a person do strange things. I'll leave it at that, however, I do agree that a eulogy should actually honor the person.

At my father-in-law's funeral last year, the minister (the son of the founder of the most prominent religious university in the country) kept going on and on about salvation. He did everything but an altar call. My husband and I really thought he was going to go that far. In other words, the service had more to do with the minster's agenda than my father-in-law and the kind of person he was (exceptional). My husband wasn't very happy at all but out of respect for his mother, he didn't say anything.

It can be frustrating. At my mother's funeral, the minister didn't know her and kept talking about how she had been preceded in death by her loving husband when they had been long divorced! We had told him that too ...

By Dan

Being the son of a missionary, I've been to my share of funerals. I know a lot of people were upset with Tony, but my feeling is that a funeral often has people who didn't know the deceased, so they may go away with strong, mistaken image of the dead, so he was justified.

I've also had the experience of a full call to the alter at a funeral. YUCK.

Since I've never been Catholic, I don't consider a funeral a sacred rite, whether it's performed in a church or not.

By Blonde Ambition

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Tony Danza has always been an obnoxious jerk, especially to both his wives.

By don swartzell

sounds like another "has been actor" who is full of himself..Go sit down..Nobody cares what you think

I've never really been a fan of Tony's, but I understand his frustration of hearing a lot of stuff about a friend at a funeral that doesn't represent who the person was.

Since my father was a minister & missionary, and I've known a lot of ministers, I probably don't hold ministers and priests to be venerated as some people do.

That being said, I'd want to have someone stop untrue blather about a close friend of mine at a funeral. I wouldn't want to have some of my last memories of the deceased to be of the upset it caused me.

By susana

Good for you, Tony! You are a true friend to try to make sure your friend gets the respect he deserves. I hope somebody speaks up for me if some "man of God" (puhleeeez)tries to talk his self-serving bs at my funeral. Lots of times those guys use funerals as a platform to scare people into belief.

By LUMPY

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"LEST HE WHO IS WITHOUT SHINS, MAKE THE FIRST KICK...."

By Glen

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Danza's new reality TV series gives a pretty good insight into his personality. The one thing that shines through is that Danza doesn't know when to shut up and like most actors, if the conversation isn't about him then he's not interested. He's a motor mouth and probably got mad because the priest wasn't focused on Danza.

By Westdude

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Priests... priests...
They always improvise tales and fantasies in funerals.
But only those closer to the departed person detect the trick.

By Anjel

I think Tony is a pretty cool guy.. a little annoying-but lots of people from New York are. That being said, if I were at a service for someone that I loved and I felt the priest wasn't doing an appropriate job, I might say something too. The priest must've been really off base.

By ardis

Because tantrun throwing Tony Tinsel Town get's annoyed at a funeral does it automatically follow that the priest "must have been off base"? Some proof.

By John Hood

In almost all cases, when you asked a priest to eulogize at the funeral, he does not know the person who died. All he could do is let us know the good and the bad things of our lives, and hope that we learned from it.It will sound like a sermon but it really what it is.

By ShellyP

As a practicing Catholic it gets really old and tired seeing the Catholic bashers crawl out from under a rock so they can say ignorant and dumb things to make themselves feel better.

That said, Tony Danza was in the WRONG and had no right to disrupt the priest during the eulogy. Typical actor-it always has to be about him. If he wanted to memorialize his friend he should have taken his friends out for a pint afterward and said what he wanted to say then. After all, that's what us Irish do.

By Joe in JT

You'ze guys don't mess width my friend Tony D. Tony did nothin wrong, cuz I waz there. Tony told the priest "Hey, I'm talk'in to you priest. Qit talkin bout ya self and let me say a few words or I'll wack ya". And ya know my best friend Tony D has to be right, because he's an English teacher. Signed T Soprono.

Thursday 18 November

By Maritza

Tony looks great for 59. I think he did the right thing, its only logical that a best friend talk about the deceased. Its obvious the priest did not know the guy at all, that's probably what ticked Tony off.

By Zell

Mr. Danza is not aging very well, lost his looks.

By Bob Gardner

Danza? Like the priest, Danza made it about himself. No big surprise there.

By Dave

Another loud mouth celeb who was terrible in WHO'S THE BOSS and now can't behave at a funeral. Grow up and pay proper respect at your friends funeral. If you would like to say something at a friends funeral ask permission to speak . If you are a true friend you'll have respect for your friends family members in thier time of need. If they want you to speak they will grant you permission. This is a time thats hard on everyone and the priest is trying to do the best job he can. Show Some Respect!!!

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