Lighting Design Pioneer Imero Fiorentino Passes Away

	Imero "Immie" Fiorentino

Imero "Immie" Fiorentino, a pioneer of television lighting design and a leader of the American entertainment industry, passed away Tuesday, October 1, after struggling with several health issues since 2011.

Fiorentino was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 12, 1928 to Margaret Viola, a doll dress maker, and Dominick Fiorentino, an artist. He became interested in set and lighting design through trips to Radio City Music Hall with his uncle, and under the encouragement of a teacher, Florence Druss, at Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, he went on to Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied theatre.

After graduation, Fiorentino was hired at Indiana University to teach lighting, but his father died before the semester began, and he became the major breadwinner for his family. He was hired as a lighting designer at ABC to design productions for television series such as Omnibus, Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, and Ponds Theater. He would eventually light such iconic moments in American television history as The Heavyweight Championship of the World in 1964, in which Muhammad Ali fought Sonny Liston, and the 1960 Presidential debates between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, for which Fiorentino was the lighting director.

Fiorentino left ABC in 1960 and formed Imero Fiorentino Associates, a lighting design company that became a go-to for freelancers and which eventually expanded to provide set design as well as production, staging, and technical supervision for television and live events. Throughout his career, he offered his expertise to the development of many major productions, exhibits, museums, architectural projects, and concert tours. He consulted on major corporate events for Anheuser-Busch, Michelin, Electrolux, American Express, and Xerox among others.

In 1981, Fiorentino received The United States Institute of Theatre Technology Award, the highest USITT award that recognizes a lifetime of distinguished contribution to the performing arts or entertainment communities in any capacity. He was also presented the USITT Distinguished Lighting Designer Award and was nominated for two Emmys for his work on The Neil Diamond Special: I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight in both 1977 and 1978.

Fiorentino is survived by his wife of 43 years, Angela Linsell; his daughter Linda, from a previous marriage; her husband, Ken Crabbs; and his grandson Christian Imero Fiorentino Crabbs.

The family will hold a visitation from 6 - 9pm on Sunday, October 6 at Riverside Memorial Chapel, located at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 76th Street in New York. The funeral will be held at 10:30am on Monday, October 7 at St. Malachy's Church ("The Actors' Chapel") at 239 West 49th Street in New York.