John Stamos paid tribute to Ralph Cirella days after Howard Stern’s longtime stylist passed away.
The “Full House” alum was discussing his memoir, “If You Would Have Told Me,” during day 3 of the Tribeca Festival at Art Basel Miami Beach on Friday when a butterfly started circling him.
“It might be Ralph,” Stamos told the intimate crowd of the colorful insect. “Our friend Ralph, Ralph Cirella from the ‘Howard Stern Show’ died a couple days ago so it’s been a little tough the last few days.”
“That might be him. Ralphy?” Stamos, 60, added with a smile.
Billboard Latin and Español Chief Content Officer Leila Cobo, who was moderating the fireside chat, pointed out that Stamos wrote in his memoir about often seeing signs from those who have passed away.
“My father passed away and my mom started saying, when she’d see a hummingbird she’d say, ‘Oh there’s your dad,’” he recalled, adding, “It’s been kind of a theme.”
The day that Stamos’ “Full House” co-star Bob Saget passed away in January 2022, Stamos saw a hummingbird and saw it as a sign from his late friend.
“The day Bob died I was in his backyard. I was like, ‘Come on Bob, show me a sign,’ and it was quiet and I said, ‘Bob, tell me you’re ok,’ and nothing. And all of a sudden, this little hummingbird came down.”
He continued, “It had red around and my mom had red hair and it was kind of like, ‘Bob’s ok,’ and [flew] back up again,” he added.
Stern announced that the makeup artist passed away at the age of 58 on Tuesday after his “heart gave out.”
“I just have been so sad and so angry,” Stern said. “He didn’t take care of himself.”
Stamos took to Instagram to mourn the loss of his close friend.
“At the painfully young age of 58, my dear friend, Ralph Cirella, was suddenly taken from us, leaving us all in a state of profound shock. He was, without a doubt, a one-of-a-kind soul,” Stamos wrote in a lengthy statement on Wednesday.
“Ralph wasn’t just a friend; he was family. My mother adored him, and I’ll always cherish the memory of her affectionately mistaking his ‘berry’ for a piece of red jello on his upper lip, playfully attempting to wipe it away.”
Stamos recalled “the old days” when Cirella “worked his magic” as a makeup artist on Stern’s Channel 9 show.
“I can vividly recall how he transformed Howard into a perfect replica of Larry King, showcasing his exceptional talent and creativity. From the day forward, we were life long friends, I just wished he lived longer,” he said.
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Stamos added that his heart “aches” knowing that Cirella had not found “the deep love he undeniably deserved” before he died.
“In our final exchange, I shared a story about someone who called me lucky. When I asked why, their response was simple and profound: ‘Because you’re friends with Ralph from the Howard Stern show.’ And they were absolutely right,” Stamos concluded.
Stern, 69, also posted a heartbreaking message to honor Cirella’s memory on Wednesday.
“It just seems impossible that he is gone,” Stern wrote on Instagram along with several photos of Cirella over the years. “Bye for now, Ralph ❤️.”
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