Melbourne furniture magnate Franco Cozzo, famous for his TV ads in the 1980s, dies at 87
Iconic Melbourne furniture magnate Franco Cozzo has died aged 87.
His family announced Cozzo’s death ‘with great sadness’ on Instagram on Wednesday.
“He was surrounded by his loving wife and family,” they said.
“He would greatly appreciate our privacy being respected at this time,” they concluded the post.
Cozzo rose to fame in the 1980s after creating a series of low-budget TV advertisements for his furniture store.
Iconic Melbourne furniture magnate Franco Cozzo has died aged 87
Cozzo rose to fame in the 1980s after creating a series of low-budget TV advertisements for his furniture store
His thick accent, which was a hybrid of Australian and Italian, made him an Australian sensation.
He was best known for his unique catchphrases, including “megalo, megalo, megalo!” and ‘big sales, big sales, big sales!’
After arriving in Australia in 1956, he began his career as a door-to-door salesman, despite not speaking English.
Cozzo’s family announced his death ‘with great sadness’ on Instagram on Wednesday
He soon entered into a partnership with a furniture company and later opened three of his own stores in North Melbourne, Brunswick and Footscray.
He had nine daughters and a son, and married twice.
Last year, Franco was featured in an ABC documentary entitled Palazzo di Cozzo, written and directed by Madeleine Martiniello.
The documentary told the story of his colorful life; from the moment he arrived in Melbourne at the age of 21 after a 32-day boat trip from Sicily, to becoming one of the savviest businessmen in Melbourne.