Vincent Margera, better known as Don Vito to Jackass fans, spent the last few years battling with a variety of life-threatening ailments including kidney and liver failure. Early Sunday, November 15, he officially lost those battles. He was only 59 years old, TMZ reports.
His health had rapidly been declining after he was hospitalized in Oct. 2015 and fell into a coma. Two of his vital organs — his liver and kidneys — were allegedly in bad shape due to his hard partying over the years.
Vincent was a favorite of the “Jackass” guys, often becoming a target of their pranks, along with carrying out a few of his own. He appeared on the MTV series and the “Jackass” movies, as well as having a prominent role in his nephew’s “Viva La Bam,” which aired on MTV from 2003 to 2006.
He earned the “Don Vito” nickname through his nearly unintelligible speech that often required captions on TV, much like “The Godfather’s” Don Vito Corleone. Vincent was also featured in “Haggard: The Movie” and “Minghags.”
In the years before his death, Vincent ran into legal trouble. He was found guilty in 2007 of two counts of sexual assault. He had to register as a sex offender in Colorado and Pennsylvania, complete sex offender treatment and drugs and alcohol treatment. Vincent was also ordered to give up his alter ego for 10 years.
Vincent Margera leaves behind a complicated legacy, but whether he spent his final years disassociated from the Jackass crew or not, he was, in many ways, a perfect player for the collective. Outlandish, over the top, willing to do anything to himself or his body for a laugh and for fame, he was a true jackass in every sense of the word, and he’ll be missed by his friends, family, co-stars and fans of Jackass the world over.
Vincent’s death is only the latest loss to the MTV family in recent years. “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn died in June, 2011, in a car accident at the age of 34.
