Fans of actor Tony Ganios were left saddened this week after the comedy legend died following surgery. 

According to Fox News, the 64-year-old performer's death came this past weekend after undergoing an emergency four-hour surgery for a spinal cord infection.

Fiancée mourns loss of Ganios

Ganios' passing was confirmed to Fox News by his fiancée, Amanda Ganios, who told the network, "I just love him so much. I don't know how else I can express it."

She explained that although the surgery was successful, Ganios had to be put on dialysis the following morning and subsequently went into cardiac arrest.

Fox News noted that Ganios is best known for his portrayal of Meat Tuperello in the 1981 adult comedy "Porky's." He went on to reprise the role in "Porky's II: The Next Day" and "Porky's Revenge!"

In addition to installments of the "Porky's" franchise, Ganios appeared in such films as "The Wanderers," "Continental Divide," "Back Roads," and "Die Hard 2."

Ganios said he "would constantly run into fans" after his retirement

What's more, the actor was also seen on the small screen as well, turning up in "The Equalizer," "The Ring of the Musketeers" and "Wiseguy."

Fox News explained that Ganios left the acting world three decades ago, with his last performance coming in the 1993 film "Rising Sun."

"It’s a strange thing," Ganios told the website Cult Faction in a 2015 interview. "While I did miss acting, I didn’t miss the entertainment industry or most of the people in it."

"But as time went by, I would constantly run into fans who were genuinely disappointed to know that I had quit the business," he noted.

Ganios remembered fondly on social media

Tributes to Ganios quickly appeared on social media, including from actress and social media personality Jessica Levesque.

😢very saddened to hear the loss of one of my favorite actors Tony Ganios from the porky films& other projects. My dream was to actually meet him ❤️ my thoughts are with him, his friends and family . 🤍 he will be missed very much, but never forgotten .❤️💕 #tonyganios #porkys pic.twitter.com/Xw0tQXwSkP

— Jessica L (Trixie J) (@xxjessabugxx) February 20, 2024

Levesque wrote on Tuesday that she is "very saddened" by Ganios' passing and praised him as being "one of my favorite actors."

"My dream was to actually meet him," she continued before adding, "My thoughts are with him, his friends and family. He will be missed very much, but never forgotten."