Entertainment Tonight has just confirmed that reality star Angela Rainola, better known to the world as Big Ang, has tragically passed away at the age of 55 after a battle with brain and lung cancer; she was surrounded by her family.
The beloved husky-voiced TV personality was the breakout star of Vh1's popular reality series Mob Wives, and her own spinoff, Big Ang.
Ms. Rainola, a Staten Island native--with her boozy and huge gold heart and lifetimes of legitimate wisdom, and towering stature--stole every scene she was in, and developed a bonafide cult following.
Listen to her spout some realness about living in the moment every day:
"Nobody tells me what to do or how to act," says Big Ang, as she inspects a mysterious, cinnamon-smelling liquor before taking a sip. "I've been doing whatever I want since I was twelve.
Fun fact: PAPER editor, Abby Schreieber, who did the interview, was going to take a bus back to the Staten Island ferry from the Drunken Monkey, but Big Ang insisted on giving her a ride in her jaguar, which she did.
Queen!
Ang was a true New Yorker, and a true force of...something.
What that something was, I'm not sure, but it was damn great.