April 8, 2025, 5:05 AM PDT — Rome bid a tearful farewell Tuesday to beloved Italian actor Antonello Fassari, who passed away April 5 at age 72 after a long illness. The funeral, held at the Chiesa degli Artisti in Piazza del Popolo, drew a somber crowd of family, friends, and colleagues, including Claudio Amendola, who delivered a heart-wrenching tribute to his late friend and I Cesaroni co-star. “He was the friend with whom I would have liked to age,” Amendola said, his voice breaking, as he stood outside the church before the 11:00 a.m. ceremony.
Fassari, best known for his role as the gruff yet tender Cesare Cesaroni in the hit Canale 5 series, succumbed to what Amendola called a “bastard illness”—widely reported as angina pectoris, though official causes remain unconfirmed. The actor’s death came as a shock to the I Cesaroni cast, currently filming its seventh season, I Cesaroni – Il ritorno, under Amendola’s direction since March 17. “Irony of the sort, or a curse, we’re shooting I Cesaroni right now—the timing is truly terrible,” Amendola told reporters, per Fanpage.it. “He’d have smiled at it. I’m waiting for the moment that smile comes back to me, because I know he’s laughing up there.”
The two, who played brothers Giulio and Cesare onscreen, shared a bond that transcended the set. “We were brothers in I Cesaroni, but also in life these past ten years—our trust went beyond friendship,” Amendola said, per Corriere TV. “It’s a huge blow. He was an extraordinary man.” Fighting tears, he added, “I wasn’t ready. I was preparing, but not yet.” After the service, Amendola read the Artists’ Prayer and whispered, “Ciao Ce’,” a moment that left onlookers—and posts on X—reeling with emotion: “Devastated by Claudio saying ‘Ciao Ce’’—pure heartbreak.”
The church overflowed with familiar faces—Max Tortora, Ricky Memphis, Ludovico Fremont, and Elena Sofia Ricci among them—reflecting Fassari’s decades-long impact across theater, TV, and film. From his 1990s satire Avanzi to darker turns in Romanzo Criminale, the Roman actor’s versatility shone, though I Cesaroni cemented his legacy. “He was the smile of Rome,” his brother Claudio Fassari told Dilei.it, while producer Verdiana Bixio, stunned despite knowing his health struggles, confirmed the new season will honor him.
As Trump’s tariffs shake markets—a $5 trillion S&P 500 hit—Fassari’s farewell offers a poignant counterpoint. Amendola’s words linger: a wish to grow old together, cut short. For fans, losing Cesare feels like losing family; for Amendola, it’s a piece of life gone. “Che amarezza,” Fassari’s signature line, never rang truer.
