‘Mob Wives’ star Angela ‘Big Ang’ Raiola dies at 55

Reality star Angela Raiola, better known to fans of the reality series “Mob Wives” as “Big Ang,” died early Thursday after a yearlong battle with cancer. She was 55.

The news was announced in a statement from a family spokesperson posted to her Twitter account.

“She was surrounded by nothing but love from her immediate family and closest friends,” it read. “YOU, (Her fans) were some of the most special people in her world, and she loved you immensely.”

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The towering Raiola joined “Mob Wives,” a VH1 reality series documenting the lives of women with family ties to organized crime, in its second season. Though Raiola was not actually a “mob wife,” her uncle, Salvatore “Sally Dogs” Lombardi, was reportedly a captain in the Genovese crime family.

Known for her flamboyant, fun-loving personality and peacemaking ways, Raiola quickly became the show’s breakout star. She leveraged her popularity with viewers into two spinoffs, “Big Ang” and “Miami Monkey.” Both were short-lived.

Raiola was diagnosed with throat cancer last year, and the disease later spread to her lungs and brain. In a pre-taped appearance on the syndicated talk show “Dr. Oz” that aired Tuesday, Raiola attributed her illness to a 40-year smoking habit.

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