Francesca Cappucci

Courtesy of Ian Lyndon

Francesca Cappucci, who spent greater than a decade as a well-liked leisure and music reporter at KABC-TV in Los Angeles, has died. She was 64.

Cappucci died March 30 at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena after being identified with Stage 4 metastatic lung most cancers in July, her older son, Ian Lyndon, informed The Hollywood Reporter. She by no means smoked and “was an advocate for wellness and ran and exercised every day, that’s why [her illness] was such a shock,” he mentioned.

Out of the blue, Quentin Tarantino named the glamorous Italian film star spouse of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton after her in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

Cappucci and the filmmaker by no means met, Ian mentioned, and she or he was “blown away” when she and his brother, Will, noticed the film on the large display for the primary time. (The character was performed by Chilean actress Lorenza Izzo.)

Cappucci coated present enterprise for the ABC-owned station from 1984-98 and interviewed “the biggest and the best in the music industry,” KABC leisure reporter George Pennacchio mentioned.

She additionally portrayed a reporter on episodes of such TV reveals as The Colbys, Columbo, seventh Heaven, The Practice and Charmed and within the movie Beverly Hills Ninja (1997).

A center little one, Francesca Maria Cappucci was born in Los Angeles on June 29, 1958. She graduated from San Marino High School and attended Loyola Marymount University for 2 years earlier than starting her journalism profession.

She began out within the public affairs division at L.A. radio station KIQQ-FM (Ok-100), the place she hosted a public affairs interview present, anchored newscasts and labored on a morning drive program alongside Jay Coffey.

At KABC, she interviewed the likes of Rod Stewart, David Bowie and Michael Jackson earlier than leaving the station after Ian was born.

She produced and co-wrote with Ian (who additionally directed) a 2018 quick movie, Not Me, which starred future Netflix Outer Banks star Rudy Pankow and performed at a number of movie festivals.

In addition to her sons, survivors embody her siblings, Rafael and Isabella; her ex-husband, Gordon Fordyce; and shut buddies Kim Kelly, Diana Browne and Meredith Brooks.