Remembering Eddie Mekka, ‘Laverne & Shirley’s Big Ragoo
What To Know
- Eddie Mekka, best known as Carmine “The Big Ragoo” Ragusa on Laverne & Shirley, was a beloved supporting character whose role helped define the show’s success and connect it to Happy Days.
- Beyond television, Mekka had a diverse career spanning Broadway, film, and stage, earning a Tony nomination and performing in productions like Grease, Hairspray, and Fiddler on the Roof.
- Mekka continued acting until his later years, remained devoted to his family, and passed away in 2021 at age 69 after a career lasting over four decades.
Eddie Mekka will always be remembered as Carmine Ragusa, better known as “The Big Ragoo,” the singer who added old-school charm to Laverne & Shirley. As the series approaches its 50th anniversary on January 27, 2026, it feels like the right moment to revisit Mekka’s role in the show’s success and his overall career.
How did Eddie Mekka begin his career?
Born Edward Rudolph Mekjian on June 14, 1952, in Worcester, Massachusetts, Mekka grew up in a working-class household shaped by both Armenian and Italian heritage.
In the early 1970s, he headed the Worcester County Light Opera, teaching young people how to sing and perform. His move to Broadway brought him significant early recognition when he earned a Tony Award nomination for The Lieutenant.
How did Eddie Mekka join Laverne & Shirley?
Soon after his Tony nomination, Mekka moved to Hollywood, and soon joined Laverne & Shirley in 1976 as Carmine Ragusa, Shirley Feeney’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. Mekka played the role through the show’s entire run until its cancellation in 1983, making Carmine one of the most recognizable supporting characters of the era. He also appeared as Carmine on Happy Days, helping tie the two shows together during their shared television universe.
Everett Collection
“Eddie had this brilliance that he brought onto the show, and he brought it to that character,” costar Cindy Williams told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette in 2021, shortly after Mekka’s death. “The part wasn’t that big, but he brought his greatness to it. Every time he came onstage he had a great energy and it just lent itself so well to the show.”
“Not many people would know this, but Eddie was also a brilliant actor, a brilliant actor. No one could have played it like Eddie. Nobody,” Williams added. “He never missed a beat. And when it came to performing, Eddie was up to it, no matter what the challenge was. He could do it all.”
Mekka continued working steadily for decades. His television appearances ranged widely, from The Love Boat and Fantasy Island to Moonlighting, Family Matters, 24 and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. On the film side, he appeared in Beaches, Dreamgirls and A League of Their Own, the latter directed by his Laverne & Shirley co-star Penny Marshall, where he played Mae’s dance partner in a memorable bar scene.
Paramount/Everett Collection
The stage remained central to Mekka’s identity throughout his life. He toured nationally in Grease alongside Cindy Williams, starred in Hairspray in Las Vegas, and returned to off-Broadway in 2008 in My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m In Therapy!. In 2010, he took on the demanding role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof at the John W. Engeman Theater.
Off-screen, Mekka’s life was quieter and family-focused. He was married twice, first to actress DeLee Lively and later to Yvonne Marie Grace, with whom he had a daughter, Mia. He continued performing into his later years, with his final screen role in 2018 in the comedy Hail Mary!, closing out a career that stretched more than four decades. Mekka died in Newhall, Santa Clarita, California, on November 27, 2021 at the age of 69 with his cause of death being largely unknown.
Remind 
1970s Fall TV
September 2023
Take a trip back to the ’70s by looking at the TV Guide Magazine Fall Preview primetime lineups.
Buy This Issue