vaquero Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Angela (Big Ang) Raiola, 'Mob Wives' star, dead at 55BY DENIS SLATTERY NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Wednesday, February 17, 2016, 9:38 PMA A Afacebook315TweetemailSHARE THIS URLCRAIG BARRITT/GETTY IMAGESAngela (Big Ang) Raiola passed away Wednesday after a battle with stage 4 brain and lung cancer.Larger-than-life reality TV star Angela (Big Ang) Raiola passed away Wednesday after a battle with stage 4 brain and lung cancer, sources confirmed.The 55-year-old was a brash and boisterous presence on the hit VH1 series “Mob Wives” and several spinoffs.The mother of two and grandmother of six gained fame on the show thanks her "family" ties — she was the niece of the late Salvatore (Sally Dogs) Lombardi, who was a reputed captain of the Genovese crime family.The rambunctious Raiola was diagnosed last year with throat cancer and underwent several surgeries before being given the all clear.VIEW GALLERYIn memoriam: Remembering the famous figures we lostThe disease returned in December and had spread to her brain and lungs, according to reports.“Sometimes I feel I'm gonna be fine, and sometimes I just don't think I am,” Raiola said in a tearful interview on “The Dr. Oz Show” that aired Tuesday.Raiola revealed on "The Dr. Oz Show" that she had left her husband, Neil Murphy, and that she was given a 30% chance of survival.APDr. Mehmet Oz holds Big Ang's hand during a taping of "The Dr. Oz Show" in New York that aired Tuesday, one day before she died.Raiola, a lifelong smoker, underwent chemotherapy, but the treatment didn’t work, and she had begun immunotherapy, which uses the body’s immune system rather than chemicals to fight diseases.Raiola is survived by her sister, Janine Detore, her two children, Raquel and Anthony Donfrio, and six grandchildren.Detore had set up a GoFundMe page earlier this month to help with Raiola's doctor fees, which raised over $45,000 in two weeks.DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSThe 55-year-old was a brash and boisterous presence on the hit VH1 series “Mob Wives” and several spinoffs.The celebrity lived with her daughter, son-in-law and their three children on Staten Island, where she owned the famed Drunken Monkey bar.After gaining celebrity on “Mob Wives,” Raiola got her own spinoff series, “Big Ang” and “Miami Monkey.”A cigarette smoker for 40 years, Raiola told the Daily News last year that she stopped immediately after her first cancer diagnosis last March.JULIA XANTHOS/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSBig Ang at home with friends Jennifer Patafio (r.) and Linda Torres (c.) while filming for her show on VH1 in Staten Island in 2012.Her doctors told her the disease was “positively” caused by smoking, she said, and she called for people to quit the habit or resist picking it up.Raiola gave fans a look into her cancer battle on an episode of "Mob Wives" earlier this month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeJoe Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 as of now she's still alive but fighting for her life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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