'The Godfather Part II' Actor John Aprea Has Died at 83 — What Happened and Where You Know Him From

On Aug. 5, 2024, actor John Aprea died. He was 83 years old. Whether you know him for what some would call his breakout role in The Godfather Part II or as Uncle Jesse's dad in Full House and the spinoff Fuller House , chances are, you've seen Aprea in something over the years. With his long list of TV and film credits, it's almost impossible that he didn't grace the big or small screen for you at some point in his long career.

In fact, he had been working on television up until 2023, the year before he passed away. But what was John Aprea's cause of death? Although he was 83 at the time of his passing, there are still questions among fans about what happened, and his manager shared the news of his death with various outlets more than a week following his death.

What was John Aprea's cause of death?

According to Aprea's manager, Will Levine, who shared the news of Aprea's death with The Hollywood Reporter , Aprea died of natural causes in Los Angeles, where he lived.

Aprea's career in acting began in 1968 when he had a small role in the movie Bullitt and was credited as simply "Killer." From there, Aprea continued to work steadily, appearing on various TV shows until he landed the role of young Salvatore on The Godfather Part II .

He eventually found steady work on the short-lived cop drama Matt Houston , and then on Falcon Crest . There was never really a time when Aprea wasn't working on a new project, though, from being in hundreds of episodes of Another World to appearing in several episodes of the soap opera Days of Our Lives . And, of course, his work on both Full House and Fuller House as Grandpa Nick, the sometimes snarky father to Uncle Jesse, played by John Stamos.

Was John Aprea married? Did he have kids?

Aprea divorced his first wife, Cherie Latimer, in 1971, and remarried Ninon Aprea in 1987, who he divorced in 1998. He later married Betsy Graci, who he remained married to until his death. Aprea is also survived by his children — daughter Nicole and Marika Parker, and Valentino Graci, his stepchildren.

According to Variety , a private service was planned to honor Aprea for his close friends and family members. Though judging by his long resume, it's clear that his fans, who likely span across different generations, will mourn the late actor as well.