Musician and retired Disney Cast member Ralph “Birdie Castle” Catalano passed away. The family of “Birdie” which includes Port Orleans Riverside and DIsney as a whole lost a beloved Cast Member on November 1st. I cannot tell you how many people he met and affected as an entertainer, or as a greeter at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside, but it must be in the hundreds of thousands. With his infectious laugh, or his storytelling, or just stopping to talk about his days opening for Wayne Newton, or the Four Seasons, or his love of his Disney Family, Birdie was the Man!
We here at Chip and Company would like to send our condolences out to his immediate family. Truly we are sorry for your loss. We get to know a lot of Cast Members over the time we spend at the parks, and I personally got to meet and talk with Birdie prior to his retirement a few years ago. We had an amazing conversation about him being in Jersey and playing some of the clubs in that area.
Just to give you an idea of the impact of a single Cast Member, we did a Live! From Port Orleans RIverside on the date, it reopened to the public. “Birdie” was asked about probably 8 times. How is he? Where is He? Is he still working? People genuinely cared, and to me, that shows the worth of someone right there. If people who only met you for a brief few minutes and they go out of their way to ask about you, means you impacted them enough to care.
I don’t know how to end a simple memorial like this. So I will just say, Thank You Birdie!
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Special Thank you to PortOrleans.org for sharing this info originally of Disney Cast member Ralph “Birdie Castle” Catalano
Ralph Catalano
Musician and retired Disney Cast member Ralph “Birdie Castle” Catalano’s love of life didn’t come to an end with his death. Birdie passed away on November 1, 2021, at the age of 93 after a courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by loved ones who will continue to honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest.
Birdie was an entertainer for 50 years with his hit show called The Birdie Castle Show. Birdie enjoyed the spotlight and making people laugh. He had an uncanny ability to find happiness in his daily activities. His pleasant personality was contagious to everyone he met.
Birdie was preceded in death by his brother, Andrew Catalano, and daughter, Michele Rutherford. He is survived by his wife, Sarah Armstrong, sister, Flora Bonovitacola, daughter, Sandy Barletta, son, Randy Catalano, daughter, Tania Sessom, son, Don Jerue, daughter, Amanda Armstrong, daughter, Tanisha Catalano, son, Ralphael Armstrong & daughter, Kianna Harvey, seven grandkids, and nineteen great-grandkids.
A gathering of family and friends will be held on Monday, November 8, from 5-6 p.m. with a Celebration of Birdie’s Life being held at 6 p.m. at Heartland Church in Winter Haven, Florida.
Disney Cast member Ralph “Birdie Castle” Catalano
Related: Hugh Jackman Shares Emotional Tribute After His Father’s Passing on Australian Father’s Day
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