Syracuse, N.Y. — Billy Fuccillo, a vehicle vendor best known for touting “HUGE” promotions in radio and Television set ads, died Thusday at age 65.
Fucillo died at his property in Sarasota, Florida, in accordance to his attorney, Robert Scalione. Scalione did not know the trigger of loss of life, but said Fuccillo had been unwell.
Calling hours will be 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Thomas J. Pirro funeral property. A funeral Mass will be held 11 a.m. Friday at Our Girl of Pompei/St. Peter’s Church, Syracuse.
Fuccillo grew up on Long Island and went to Syracuse University in 1974 on a football scholarship.
Right after graduation, he took a job as a made use of vehicle salesman, functioning for Sam Dell and Monthly bill Rapp. He moved into auto wholesaling, then opened Fuccillo Autobrokers, Inc., providing used cars and trucks from a large amount on West Genesee Avenue. In 1989, he scored his first dealership, a Mitsubishi franchise in Watertown.
He went on to head a 26-keep car or truck empire in New York and Florida, in accordance to The Publish-Standard’s archives.
In 1991, the Billy advertisements exploded across Central New York.
Fuccillo is finest recognised for his recurrent tv advertisements, touting “Y-U-U-G-ah” promotions on motor vehicles.
It turned a Syracuse catch-phrase. Folks stopped him for autographs and images and questioned him to say the terms.
“When I’m doing what I’m undertaking, I feel like I’m on stage,” he reported in a 1996 profile in The Submit-Conventional.
Fuccillo was a serious showman.
He once employed daredevil stunt male Robbie Knievel to fly his bike more than 26 automobiles at Fuccillo’s dealership in the Jefferson County city Adams to boost a sale.
Good friend and fellow vehicle seller Michael J. Romano explained Fuccillo as smart, hardworking and “classy as stylish can be.”
Fuccillo experienced to advertise heavily when he begun out to entice prospects from Syracuse and Utica to obtain autos from him in Adams. “He bought a whole lot of people up there and it made him a prosperous dude,” explained Romano, an owner of Romano Automobile Dealerships.
In 2012, Fuccillo stopped appearing in his commercials, fueling rumors that he had died.
He responded to the rumors in an interview with Syracuse.com, stating he was active starting off new car dealerships in Florida.
“People that know me, know the person I am and what I do for the communities,” Fuccillo claimed. “This is folks setting up nonsense.”
Earlier this year, Fuccillo bought his a few dealerships in the Syracuse spot and two in the Rochester spot to Vestal-dependent Matthews Automobile Group. He sold his two Kia dealerships in Florida in September.
Past fall, he sold his $2.5 million residence in Cape Coral, Florida.
A former Fuccillo personnel was charged in March with stealing about $1 million from the Fuccillo Auto Team.
Point out police stated accountant Joseph A. Pompo was working as Fuccillo’s director of taxation and finance very last calendar year when he stole the revenue. Pompo produced a company under owner Billy Fuccillo Sr.’s identify to pocket the dollars, police reported.
— Michelle Breidenbach contributed to this story
James T. Mulder covers health and fitness and better education. Have a information tip? Make contact with him at (315) 470-2245 or [email protected]
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