Beloved Pizza Chef In Astoria Dies At Age 59

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Andrew Bellucci, the beloved chef who rose to fame at the iconic SoHo pizza joint Lombardi's in the 1990s and opened his own pizzeria in Astoria, passed away at age 59, according to an Instagram post on Thursday.

"Till we make Pizza again together my friend," read the post. "May your memory last eternal."

The owner of Andrew Bellucci’s Pizzeria collapsed while working at the pizzeria and was taken to Mount Sinai in Queens, where he died.

The pizzeria at 37-08 30th Ave. closed on Thursday and will reopen on Friday. Proceeds of Friday's sales will go toward Slice Out Hunger, a hunger relief nonprofit.

The acclaimed chef opened his pizzeria early last year, embarking on a feud with his former business partner over the name of his pizzeria. Bellucci left Bellucci Pizza, owned by Leo Dakmak, in 2021 and successfully ran Andrew Bellucci's Pizzeria.

Bellucci was born in New Jersey, and he helped Gennaro Lombardi and Joan Volpe reopen Lombardi’s in 1994 before going to jail for fraud.

New Yorkers and restaurant accounts shared their love for the acclaimed chef on social media, posting Instagram stories with their pictures along Bellucci.

"He was a kind and humble man with a passion for his work that was inspiring," reads a comment from Beebe's restaurant. "We are going to miss you Andrew!"