2. The “Second Avenue Sinatra”-a Karaoke-Loving Ironworker

Construction workers are multi-faceted people who come from all walks of life, and the Second Avenue construction team had a very musically talented one. Gary Russo was a former ironworker who helped build the Second Avenue Subway in 2011. Russo gained notoriety when for days in the stifling heat of August he would haul his Karaoke gear to work and belt out Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin tunes during his 30-minute lunch break. Russo would perform for his coworkers and lucky passersby in front of a sign that said, “Forget all the noise, traffic and impact of the 2nd Ave. Subway. Enjoy the music.” His lunchtime performances soon earned him the title of the “Second Avenue Sinatra”.

Unfortunately, Gary Russo was found dead in late August of 2015, after having gone missing for a month. In what appeared to be suicide, the Sinatra singer’s body was found dangling from a rope on a tree less than a mile from his Queens apartment. Russo had reportedly been blue after a breakup with a girlfriend.