Michael Raymond Rindone of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, NY passed away on May 30, 2026. He was 74 years old.

Michael came of age in postwar Bensonhurst's Italian-American community, the youngest of three children within a large extended family. As a boy, Michael lived what most of us now only know from the movies: funny nicknames, V8 engines, 15¢ pizza lunch, and grocery trips to the salumeria – Michael had all the stories. The first in his family to attend college, Michael graduated from New Utrecht High School and obtained degrees in music and education from the College of Staten Island and Brooklyn College. Michael filled many jobs over years – such as bartender, cab driver, and radio host – but made his long-term career in the New York City Housing Authority, where he retired as a manager of housing projects across South Brooklyn, taking pride in his contributions to community affairs.

A fixture in New York's arts and music scene for over 50 years, Michael excelled as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader. In the 1970s, his punk rock/new wave group The Visitors released multiple records, frequently playing the city's top clubs such as CBGB, Max's Kansas City, and the Bowery Ballroom. In the 1980s and 1990s, Michael remained a mainstay in Lower Manhattan and shifted his focus to experimental and avant-garde music through a new outfit, Hot Kitty. In later years, Michael returned to his rock n' roll roots with the Famous Geniuses, who have been performing his original music throughout the city over the last 15 years. Outside of these groups, Michael participated in countless other artistic endeavors not mentioned here. Michael wrote and performed well over 250 pieces across his music career, regularly rubbing elbows with many famous contemporaries, including the Ramones, Frank Zappa, and Basquiat.

Michael will be remembered by many for his high energy, wide interests, and adventurous spirit. He attended hundreds of legendary concerts, including Woodstock in 1969. He loved cross-country trips and visited around 30 countries, mostly with Gabrielle – his wife of 37 years. He even became an Italian citizen. Alongside Gabrielle, Michael boasted a special passion for delicious meals: he seemed the most contented while enjoying homemade dishes like clam sauce, lamb chops, or soft-shell crabs. He found peace in nature and especially delighted in watching the birds in his backyard, filling the birdbath daily and teaching generations of sparrows his distinctive “breadcrumbs” whistle. He practiced transcendental meditation twice daily (famously, unconcerned by scheduling conflicts) and trained extensively in homeopathy. He biked thousands of miles across New York, whether for charity bike tours or to visit a favorite lunch spot. Later in life, he surprised many by becoming an NFL junkie – watching every Giants game with his son John, and often John's friends, too. He offered fraternal support and paternal concern (whether solicited or otherwise) to countless people and specialized in preserving life's special moments on photo, video, and in song. He loved being kind. Finally, Michael had a deep spiritual drive that, while wide-ranging, kept him close to Christ through life's most challenging moments: he passed peacefully after desiring and receiving the consolation of the Church’s sacraments – thanks be to God.

Michael habituated the virtue of fierce love for his family and friends. Michael's father, Michael Eugene Rindone, passed away at 44 years old and, though he had owned a clothing factory, left his son with little continuing income and as the "man of the house" at just six years old. Michael’s mother Ignazia (who went by Terry) later developed multiple sclerosis – losing her ability to work and then walk while Michael was a boy, often hearing she only had six months to live. But with the help of Michael and his sisters Barbara and Valerie, and later the families of all three, Terry lived to 89. “I feel great!” – she would come to exclaim regularly behind a beaming grin. In his telling, Michael devoted nearly his entire life before marriage and fatherhood to sustaining that life for his mother – calling daily, building mobility contraptions, and dreaming of stardom to finance special treatments. In return, Terry nurtured Michael as a lighthouse of hope amidst the rough shoals he sometimes navigated as a neighborhood youth and striving musician.

Michael built his own family in Bay Ridge with his wife Gabrielle, to whom he was a caring and proud husband. Michael and Gabrielle matched each other’s intensity and – as fellow Italian-Americans from Brooklyn with, nonetheless, often vastly different abilities and interests – they shared an implicit foundation while complementing each other as life companions for over 45 years. Michael and Gabrielle understood each other better than anyone else – sharing a musical, typically passionate banter between them that would rival any sitcom. And most wonderfully, combined they shared a magical home with generations of family and friends – many long gone now – with a verve for hosting and irreplicable character that has made 68th Street a landmark for all those in the know. Alongside Gabrielle, Michael especially delighted in his role as the “cool uncle” – bringing music, his boisterous spirit, and an unconquered passion for Trivial Pursuit to holiday celebrations and summer pool parties.

Michael was a highly engaged and committed father to his son John, whom he loved more than anything. Fatherhood gave Michael a new outlet for his fierce love and robust experiences – a boy for whom he dreamed life could be even more, and to whom he and Gabrielle offered their entire selves. Michael’s cheerfulness, pride, and constant devotion to John’s growth made him a rock for his son, in whom he instilled a love for learning, the primacy of character, inexhaustible determination, compassion for the world, and devotion to the search for meaning. Michael’s near final act of fatherhood – his proudest vocation – came just two weeks before his passing, when he stood strongly and beautifully for his son’s marriage to Nicole – who, with John, will carry on Michael’s legacy joyfully.

Whether as Michael, Mr. Rindone, Uncle Mike, or Dad, Michael R. Rindone has left us with profound impressions of an unforgettable man. Michael is survived by his wife Gabrielle; his son John and daughter-in-law Nicole; his sisters Barbara Johnston and Valerie Cascio; his brother-in-law Wallace Cascio; his sister-in-law Grace Patalano; his niece Cari Cascio; his nephews Wallace Cascio II, Thomas Patalano (Kristy), James Patalano (Rachael), and Peter Patalano (Erica), and their children Steven, Oliver, and Lucy Patalano; in addition to many cousins, friends, bandmates, and those to whom he was like a second father. Michael was predeceased by his father and mother Michael and Ignazia; his father-in-law and mother-in-law Antonio and Frances Patalano; his brothers-in-law Howard Johnston and Steven Patalano; his four grandparents, who each came to America from Sicily; all his uncles and aunts; many beloved cousins, including Peter Catanzaro, Jimmy Caruana, and Vincent Lopilato; and numerous dear friends, who were just as family, including Nicholas LaForte, Harry D’Antonio, and Tony D’Alessio.

Kindly join us for Michael’s Visitation, Mass of Christian Burial, and Burial Service at the times and places listed below. And thank you to everyone who loved or cared for Michael and made his life so wonderful over his many years. From one of Michael’s many songs, we remember his words:

“It may take me to heaven, but I know that my ship will come in!”

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In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Michael's memory to:

Bay Ridge Center

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Visitation Hours
Friday, June 5, 2026
4 PM - 8 PM

Clavin Funeral Home
7722 4th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11209
Complimentary Valet Parking Available

Funeral Mass
Saturday, June 6, 2026
10 AM 
- CLICK HERE FOR FUNERAL MASS LIVESTREAM - 

St. Andrew the Apostle's Roman Catholic Church
6713 Ridge Boulevard
Brooklyn, NY 11220

Cemetery
Saint John Cemetery
80-01 Metropolitan Avenue
Middle Village, NY 11379