The majority of individuals lead quiet, unassuming lives, yet you can’t help but run across those folks with outsized personalities. One such individual was Angela Raiola.
I’m not sure how many of you remember Angela, but she will always be known to me as “Big Ang” in the VH1 series “Mob Wives.”
Sadly, the flamboyant entertainer passed away at the young age of 55 following a grueling cancer fight.
In her final interview before her death in 2016, Angela revealed a tragic reality and cautioned others from making the same grave error she did.
After making her reality television debut in 2012, Angela “Big Ang” Raiola won the audience over with her raspy voice and brazen manner.
She rose to fame during her three-year stint on “Mob Wives” thanks to her distinctive personality and outsized personality. It seemed inevitable that “Big Ang” would amuse us.
However, many who knew her said that she was also a really kind person who was adept at recognizing everyone around her. When Angela passed away on February 18, 2016, the world lost more than just a beloved reality personality; she also devastated her sons and grandkids.
But how did the “Mob Wives” actress, who had enormous lips, a beautiful physique, and a husky voice, end up being one of the most well-liked reality television stars in America? Who was the lady behind all the plastic surgery and makeup?
Mafia connections in New York City
In Brooklyn, New York, Angela Joyce Raiola was raised after being born there on June 30, 1960. As one of the “capos” or captains of the renowned Genovese criminal family, one of the “Five Families” who rule the mafia in New York City, she was also the niece of the late Salvatore “Sally Dogs” Lombardi.
Four brothers and two sisters made up the huge family in which she was raised.
Angela was detained in 2001 as a result of her participation in a narcotics network located in Brooklyn. She was busted by undercover police selling cocaine to her. Raiola, who was 41 at the time, received narcotics from the group to sell on a “street-level” basis. She was a friend of the drug ring’s boss, according to federal officials.
The commander received a sentence of over 13 years in jail, while Raiola was charged with six felonies in May 2001. In 2003, the reality star entered a guilty plea and received a three-year probationary period.
“People enquire as to my motives. As a single mother providing for my family, I had a $3,000 rent payment. I did it for financial gain. I haven’t done it since and I wouldn’t do it again. I’ve made my mistake, Angela said.
Home detention
Raiola was also had to wear a monitor and be under home arrest for four months. That was a serious penalty, especially for someone like “Big Ang.”
“Every day, my pals and relatives visited. That also helped me feel less confining. But being restricted to one spot was horrible for someone like me who loves to go out and needs to be where the activity is,” she said.
Angela discussed her way of life and offered some guidance to people who were placed under house arrest in her book Bigger Is Better.
Her advice included getting a tattoo to commemorate the occasion, getting a personal trainer, hosting sleepovers, and bringing the celebration to you.
Even though Angela Raiola occasionally admitted to having a thing for dashing criminals, she remained honest as she rose to fame in “Mob Wives”.
Gaining fame
Staten Island resident Raiola rose to fame with the cast of “Mob Wives” during its second season in 2012. She appeared on the program until its conclusion in 2016 and quickly rose to fame.
The Staten Island neighborhood of New York City served as the setting for the series, which was shown on VH1. The idea was devised by producer Jennifer “Jenn” Graziano, who all had ties to the Mafia.
The program received positive reviews from reviewers after the first season’s premiere. According to Ken Tucker, a TV journalist for Entertainment Weekly:
I didn’t have great expectations for Mob Wives because I’ve seen at least a few episodes of every Real Housewives series and felt a little queasy about it. However, there is a filthy allure to this floridly humorous, vicariously nasty reality television.
Not all of the critics were impressed.
The New York Daily News declared, “Tired concept, is so bad it should sleep with fishes.”
But regardless of how viewers felt about the program as a whole, Angela “Big Ang” Raiola left a lasting impact and emerged as the most likeable of the mafia wives. She was recognized by many as the lady on the program who was the most caring, lovely, and grounded.
Her own spin-off series, “Big Ang” in 2012 and “Miami Monkey” in 2013, were both produced as a result of her success.
Cosmetic procedure
Nobody might be shocked to learn that Angela was a huge admirer of plastic surgery. After giving birth to her first child in 1985, she underwent her first surgery.
Angela was quite insecure about her physical appearance and felt she needed to take something.
My boobs were lifeless after I gave birth to the child. Just prunes, they reached my waist. In 1995, following my initial procedure, I had them redone. They removed the sponges and substituted saline implants instead. I’ve always had a huge chest since I had a double 36 double D when I was just 14 years old, she stated.
Many people believed she had entirely too much cosmetic surgery when she was in the spotlight. The charming Mob Wife admitted to being infatuated with plastic surgery and enjoying constant changes in her appearance as she neared the end of her life.
“I underwent a tummy tuck, liposuction, had my lips injected, and had my breasts done three times,” Big Ang said. “They inserted sponges in my breasts the first time I underwent breast surgery, which was 27 years ago. That occurred in 1985.
Tragic passing
Early in 2015, Angela began to have neck ache. She was taken to a Staten Island hospital because she sensed something wasn’t right.
Sadly, a tumor the size of a lemon was found in her throat, and it was removed. The physicians discovered another tumor in her throat during that same year. In addition, stage 4 lung and brain malignancies were discovered in her.
I first believed I was cancer-free. I intended to have a sizable party. I reached stage 4 a month later, according to Angela.
She kept showing up on “Mob Wives,” but it was obvious that she was in pain. She “dragged herself from her deathbed” at a reunion program on February 13, 2016, and she was barely present for two hours.
Raiola had six grandkids in addition to Anthony “A.J.” Donofrio and Raquel. Although she wed Neil Murphy in 2009, their marriage occasionally experienced difficulties.
In 2016, when Angela made an appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, she delivered a bombshell and disclosed that she had split up with her husband while battling cancer.
I was finished with it because, in her words, “I felt like he never stepped up to the plate.” “It’s too late now. I prefer to be alone myself. I would want to be alone myself.
The final public interview with “Big Ang” before her passing was also conducted by Dr. Oz. The presenter of the Dr. Oz Show provided some insight into the reality star’s final months of life.
“By the time she came on the show, she really had wanted to get things off her chest, to say things she knew she needed to say before the end, because she had weeks to months, not months to years left,” he claimed.
“The most significant feeling I observed in Big Ang away from the concert was dread; she was afraid. She was probably aware that she was nearing death and that she was peering over the chasm of death, which is a place that all of us fear.
Angela attended the program in part to warn viewers against a behavior that may have cost her her life: smoking cigarettes. She smoked for more than 40 years, averaging one pack a day, but she promptly quit after learning about her illness.
“I think the big legacy she’s leaving us, the big reason she came on the show, was to make sure everyone knew that cigarettes had taken her life,” said Dr. Oz.
She began smoking when she was young, like so many others, but like so many others, by the time she decided she didn’t want to smoke any more, it was already too late to quit. She also made light of the fact that she was diagnosed with throat cancer on the show, and as she left the hospital, she threw the pack of smokes in the garbage. She also abruptly stopped, but it was a bit late, he continued.
In a Manhattan hospital on February 18, 2016, “Big Ang” died away quietly while surrounded by loved ones.
“She was surrounded by nothing but love from her immediate family and closest friends,” the statement said. She adored all of her admirers, who were among the most significant individuals in her life.
Celebrities, cast members, friends, and family flooded social media with condolences as soon as word of her demise spread.
Star of “Mob Wives” and fellow cast member Renee Graziano shared a photo of “Big Ang” on Instagram with the caption, “We will always adore you. Angela, forever and ever. You belong to our family, so rip with the angels and go to a better place. “RIP ANGELA. FOREVER IN MY HEART,” it reads.
Heartbreaking images of the “Mob Wives” actress being comforted by family members while on her deathbed were posted by certain family members.
Her husband, Neil Murphy, who was apparently by her side when she passed away, posted a picture of him and his wife to Twitter.
“Please watch over the grandkids I know you will,” he said. “I will always love you forever.”
Of all the ladies on “Mob Wives,” Angela looked to be the most adoring, charming, and firmly planted. She never pretended to be someone she wasn’t and always acknowledged that she had made errors in the past. She was liked by everyone because of her authenticity. Enjoy your peace.