Joe E. Tata, ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ actor, dead at 85

By Marianne Garvey, CNN

Joe E. Tata, who played Nat, the kindly owner of the Peach Pit on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” has died, according to his daughter.

He was 85.

Kelly Tata shared the news Thursday in a statement on a GoFundMe page she had started earlier this year in relation to her father’s care.

“I am devastated to report that my father Joe E. Tata passed away peacefully last night,” Tata wrote. “My father and I are forever grateful for the love and support of family, friends, and fans.”

A cause of death was not shared but her father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018, according to Tata.

Ian Ziering, Joe E. Tata’s longtime “90210” costar, paid tribute to his late colleague on Instagram.

“Joey was truly an OG, I remember seeing him on the Rockford files with James Garner years before we worked together on 90210,” Ziering wrote. “He was often one of the background villains in the original Batman series. One of the happiest people I’ve ever worked with, he was as generous with his wisdom as he was with his kindness. Though the peach pit was a 90210 set, It often felt like the backdrop to the Joe E Tata show. “

Tata’s lengthy acting career including roles on the television series “Batman,” “Lost In Space,” “The Outer Limits,” and most recently “Mystery Girls” in 2014.

He played Nat on for 10 seasons of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” from 1990 until 2000, and later reprised the role for the CW spin-off series “90210” in 2008.

“Nat was a loving father figure to the kids of West Beverly High,” Kelly Tata wrote of her father. “In real life, my Dad, Joey, is honest, kind, and a truly incredible father.”

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