Angela Raiola, 55; 'Big Ang' of TV's 'Mob Wives' . Gary Gershoff/Getty
Images/File 2013 Even as her health worsened, Ms. Raiola continued to
document her life on "Mob Wives" and "Couples Therapy. NEW YORK -
Angela Raiola, the formidable but lovable reality TV star known as "Big
Ang" who attracted a cult following as the most visible cast member of
VH1's "Mob Wives," died early Thursday in New York. She was 55. Ms.
Raiola died of complications of cancer in a New York hospital after she
contracted pneumonia, Jennifer Graziano, the show's creator and
executive producer, said in an interview. Big Ang, whose nickname
stemmed from her larger-than-life personality (and her apparent
fondness for plastic surgery), was a niece of Salvatore Lombardi, known
as Sally Dogs, of the Genovese crime family. She had been open not only
about her illness, but also about her past struggles, including a
felony drug conviction. Those problems were spun into significant story
lines for the VH1 show. Even as her health worsened, Ms. Raiola
continued to document her life on "Mob Wives" and "Couples Therapy,"
also on VH1. The cameras rolled as she detailed her discovery of Stage
2 throat cancer and, later, the removal of a lemon-size tumor from her
throat. She also documented a medical visit in which a doctor told her
she had to have a biopsy on her lung. A longtime smoker, Ms. Raiola was
frank about her difficulty kicking the habit. Ms. Raiola discussed her
condition at length in an appearance on the "Dr. Oz" show broadcast
Tuesday, in which she revealed that she had Stage 4 lung and brain
cancer. She said that doctors were positive smoking had caused the lung
cancer. "I was smoking for 40 years," she said in the interview. "I
think whoever smokes should quit, and if they didn't start, don't
start. Ms. Raiola leaves her husband, Neil Murphy, two children, and
six grandchildren. "Mob Wives" had its premiere in 2011, and the show
offered a rare glimpse inside the lives of women tied to the mafia - a
sisterhood whose group hierarchy is determined by each woman's ability
to remain silent about the actions of their husbands, fathers, or sons,
whose involvement in "the lifestyle" invariably resulted in prison
time. On the show, respect is rigidly defined, and it is easy for the
ladies to run afoul of each another - minuscule shifts in allegiances
could result in tense, expletive-filled showdowns and violent rants.
The feuds often carried over into Twitter, helping to ensure a ratings
hit for the network and side businesses, which included Big Ang Wines,
for the women. But it was Ms. Raiola's raspy voice; tall, buxom
appearance (she was said to stand 5 feet 10 inches); and ability to add
comic relief and common sense to tense situations that quickly made her
a fan favorite. Big Ang had life experience and had seen her share of
wiseguys. Catfights, she said, were not her forte. "I'm in my 50s; they
are in [their] 30s," she said of the other wives. "I'm going to teach
them manners. On Thursday, Michael Cilnis, a spokesman for VH1,
released a statement, which said, "Angela Raiola was an incredibly
strong, one-of-a-kind woman who taught us all to enjoy life to the
fullest. The attention earned her a short-lived spinoff on VH1 called
"Big Ang," which followed her marriage and her life as a bartender at
the Staten Island bar the Drunken Monkey. The bar attracted attention
in 2014, when a patron died after he was punched outside the
establishment. Last March, the bar was shut down after a New York State
Liquor Authority investigation found that Ms. Raiola, who did not hold
the bar's liquor license, was acting as owner and operator of the
business, The Staten Island Advance reported. Ms. Raiola's past felony
conviction prohibited her from owning a bar. In a recent episode of
"Mob Wives," she is seen meeting with a lawyer in an effort to have her
rights restored. Graziano, the show's producer, said that Ms. Raiola's
status as a fan favorite extended to the show's cast and crew. She said
Big Ang, whom she described as "electric," loved to cook and play host
to her loved ones. Her children and grandchildren were the most
important people in her life, she said. "She would feed the entire cast
and crew," Graziano said, adding that Ms. Raiola loved "any, any excuse
for a party.
