Sad news from Andy Amoroso: The "Puppet Man" has passed away

The Post's Joe Capozzi wrote a wonderful article about Gayo: “He’s our little gnome. He’s the puppet man’’.

     "I received sad news. Gayo John Azzaro, one of the greatest Lake Worth artists passed away on June 2.
     Gayo presented his lovely, colorful and amazing Puppet Show with his unique selection of songs on Lake Ave delivering joy and beauty for all of us, children and adults.
     We will miss you Gayo and your ’O sole mio."

More from the article in the Post:

     It’s quite the puppet show. And the show goes on because of a character few people in the crowd ever notice — John Azzaro, a little man with a long silver beard and piercing blue eyes.
     “There’s a (bleeping) wizard back there!’’ a 20-something hipster declared to his friends one night after sneaking a peek at the puppeteer in action.
     Dressed in white pants and a tank top with sandals on his feet and a red bandanna on his head, Azzaro — all 5 feet of him — does indeed resemble a (bleeping) wizard. Some fans like to joke that he looks a lot like one of the animal, bird and clown puppets that he makes from scratch out of old newspaper or tissue.
     “He’s our little gnome. He’s the puppet man,’’ said Andy Amoroso, a Lake Worth city commissioner who hosts the puppet shows on the stoop of the gift shop he owns, Studio 205.

[and. . .]

     He’s on a mission to make sure kids and their parents, just by walking down the street, get a taste of a time when puppets like Kukla, Fran and Ollie ruled pop culture.
     “He is an awesome individual,’’ said Vicki Willard, who has been watching the street shows since the puppet man started performing them back in 2001. “He’s got a big heart. He cares about kids. He wants them to know how things were done in the past.’’

—Rest In Peace.