Music

The amazing Rappin' Granny from The Wedding Singer has died

by Jesse Locke

Ellen Abertini Dow, the delightfully plucky grandmother who paid Adam Sandler for singing lessons in meatballs and busted out a dope version of “Rapper’s Delight” in The Wedding Singer, has passed away.

Before Dow stole the show in the 1998 Sandman swooner with her role as Rosie the Rappin’ Granny, she studied dance and piano, performed comedy in the Borscht Belt, worked with mimes Marcel Marceau and Jacques LeCog, and did other things that sound incredibly old-timey. Offering hope to anyone with an acting bug, she landed her first on-screen credits in her 70s, with notable appearances in feel-good flicks like Patch Adams, Sister Act, and Road Trip. TV cameos included Seinfeld, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Golden Girls (‘natch) and a 2013 episode of The New Girl. Dow’s cover of “Rapper’s Delight” will always be her greatest hit, with the film’s soundtrack landing on the Billboard Top 5 and going double platinum (when that was still a thing).

From Vivian L. Smallwood to J-Dimps to Dotty B there’s no shortage of thirsty rappin’ grannies out there, but Ellen Abertini Dow was one in a million. I hope they serve meatballs in heaven.