From: mongo@biteme.com   
      
   'Uncle Floyd' Vivino, Comedian and New Jersey TV Personality, Dies at 74   
      
   Vivino's career included references in a David Bowie song and an   
   appearance in 'Good Morning, Vietnam'   
      
   By Brenton Blanchet   
   Published on January 23, 2026 03:00PM EST   
      
   Floyd "Uncle Floyd" Vivino, the longtime New Jersey television personality   
   whose fanbase ranged from local kids to David Bowie and John Lennon, has   
   died. He was 74.   
      
   Vivino's brother, musician Jerry Vivino, announced on Facebook that the TV   
   personality died "peacefully" on Thursday, Jan. 22, following a two-and-a-   
   half-year journey with "ongoing health issues."   
      
   "With a heavy heart I am sad to announce the passing of my brother and   
   everybody's favorite uncle, Floyd Vivino," Jerry wrote. "Rest in peace big   
   brother. You will be missed, but always remembered by friends, family and   
   your loving fans."   
      
   Floyd's official website now features an image of The Uncle Floyd Show   
   star, above the dates "1951-2026." His family will be holding a private   
   funeral and will announce a celebration of life at a later date, his   
   brother revealed.   
      
   The comedian, born in Paterson, New Jersey, was best known for The Uncle   
   Floyd Show, his cult-favorite cable program that debuted in 1974 and ended   
   in 1998, per Deadline. The series offered childlike comedy that would also   
   be interpreted as a satire of kids' programming, while featuring puppetry,   
   musical performances and even music from Vivino himself. Musical guests   
   over the years included Jon Bon Jovi, Tiny Tim, Cyndi Lauper and Blue   
   Öyster Cult.   
      
   Famous fans of Floyd included Lennon, The Ramones and Bowie, who   
   referenced Floyd and characters from his eponymous show in his 2002 song   
   “Slip Away,” which included mentions of Floyd and puppets Oogie and Bones   
   Boy.   
      
   Speaking with radio station New Jersey 101.5 in 2016, Floyd said that   
   Bowie first attended one of his performances in December 1980, weeks after   
   Lennon was fatally shot. When Floyd asked Bowie how he heard about him,   
   Bowie replied: "John Lennon told me. He said, 'Check this show out.' "   
      
   "Because they both liked things that were off the path," Floyd, who would   
   often wear his signature plaid attire, explained. "If they were to go for   
   a beer, they'd go to an old-man bar, a little corner saloon, instead of   
   the big popular chain. They were intrigued by realness."   
      
   When writing about the inspiration for "Slip Away" on his website in 2002,   
   Bowie shared that “back in the late ’70s, everyone that I knew would rush   
   home at a certain point in the afternoon to catch The Uncle Floyd Show,"   
   according to NJArts.net.   
      
   "We would be on the floor it was so funny," he wrote. "Two of the regulars   
   on the show were Oogie and Bones Boy, ridiculous puppets made out of ping-   
   pong balls or somesuch … I just loved that show.”   
      
   Beyond the cult success of the show, Floyd appeared in films including   
   Good Morning, Vietnam and shows such as Law & Order, and would perform up   
   to 300 comedy shows per year, according to USAToday. In a statement shared   
   to Facebook, Patterson Mayor Andre Sayegh wrote that Floyd "was like   
   family to me."   
      
   "My mother laughed at all of his jokes and my wife thoroughly enjoyed his   
   comedic routine," he wrote. "Sadly, one of the funniest Patersonians to   
   ever live has left this life. May Floyd Vivino rest in eternal peace."   
      
   Heavy metal group Hostile Rage also shared a tribute to Facebook, writing   
   that they were "honored and lucky enough to be a guest on his show," while   
   actor Joe Piscopo also shared a message to social media, calling Floyd an   
   "Italian American New Jersey Legend."   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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