{"id":3044,"date":"2026-07-20T14:25:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/?page_id=3044"},"modified":"2026-07-20T14:25:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:25:39","slug":"floyd-uncle-floyd-vivino-1951-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/floyd-uncle-floyd-vivino-1951-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Floyd “Uncle Floyd” Vivino (1951\u20132026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Floyd “Uncle Floyd” Vivino (1951\u20132026)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Floyd Vivino, better known to generations of New Jersey television viewers as “Uncle Floyd,”<\/strong> was a beloved comedian, musician, television host, actor, and entertainer who was born in Paterson, New Jersey<\/strong>, on October 19, 1951<\/strong>. His unique blend of comedy, music, puppetry, and improvisation made him one of New Jersey’s most recognizable television personalities and earned him a devoted cult following that extended far beyond the Garden State.<\/p>\n

The son of jazz trumpeter Jerry Vivino Sr.<\/strong>, Floyd grew up in Paterson before living in Point Pleasant, Island Heights, and Glen Rock. From an early age he displayed exceptional talent as a pianist, tap dancer, and performer. While attending Glen Rock High School, he produced original musical revues, foreshadowing the creative career that lay ahead. He was also the older brother of noted musicians Jerry Vivino<\/strong> and Jimmy Vivino<\/strong>, both of whom enjoyed successful professional music careers.<\/p>\n

Vivino achieved fame in 1974 when he created The Uncle Floyd Show<\/strong>, a low-budget comedy and variety program that aired on local television throughout New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area for more than two decades. Although presented as a children’s program, the show featured sophisticated humor, memorable puppet characters such as Oogie and Bones Boy, live music, celebrity guests, and offbeat comedy that appealed equally to adults. It became a cultural institution throughout the region.<\/p>\n

The program attracted an astonishing array of guests, including Jon Bon Jovi<\/strong>, Cyndi Lauper<\/strong>, Tiny Tim<\/strong>, Blue \u00d6yster Cult<\/strong>, Peter Tork<\/strong>, and many others before they achieved national fame. Among the show’s most famous admirers were John Lennon<\/strong> and David Bowie<\/strong>. Bowie was such an enthusiastic fan that he wrote the song “Slip Away”<\/strong> as a tribute to Uncle Floyd and his puppet characters, helping cement Vivino’s place in popular culture.<\/p>\n

Beyond television, Vivino maintained an active career as a live performer, appearing hundreds of times each year in theaters, clubs, schools, and community venues throughout New Jersey. He also acted in films including Good Morning, Vietnam<\/em> and Crazy People<\/em>, appeared on television series such as Law & Order<\/em> and Cosby<\/em>, hosted radio programs, and wrote a long-running Italian-American culture column for the Italian Tribune<\/em>. In 1999, he earned recognition from Guinness World Records for the longest continuous piano performance.<\/p>\n

A proud New Jerseyan, Vivino even mounted write-in campaigns for Governor of New Jersey in 2009 and 2017, reflecting his trademark humor and affection for his home state. His parody song “Deep in the Heart of Jersey”<\/strong> became one of his signature performances and remains popular among New Jersey audiences.<\/p>\n

After battling serious health issues, including cancer and a stroke, Floyd Vivino died in Hackensack, New Jersey<\/strong>, on January 22, 2026<\/strong>, at the age of 74. His passing prompted an outpouring of tributes from entertainers, musicians, politicians, and countless fans who remembered him as one of New Jersey’s most original and enduring entertainers. His influence on regional television and live entertainment continues to be celebrated, and The Uncle Floyd Show<\/strong> remains an important part of New Jersey’s cultural history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 4 Floyd “Uncle Floyd” Vivino (1951\u20132026) Floyd Vivino, better known to generations of New Jersey television viewers as “Uncle Floyd,” was a beloved comedian, musician, television host, actor, and entertainer who was born in Paterson, New Jersey, on October … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"kt_blocks_editor_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3044","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3044"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3045,"href":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3044\/revisions\/3045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}