Former Dancing With The Stars judge Todd McKenney has shared a tribute to the victim of Melbourne terror attack, Sisto Malaspina.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Todd shared a heartfelt tribute to Sisto, who co-owned popular Melbourne restaurant Pellegrini.
‘Oh mate…So many people love you – me included,’ he wrote next to a photo of the smiling restaurateur.
‘So many people love you – me included’: Todd McKenney, 53, shared a touching tribute to Melbourne terror victim Sisto Malaspina (above) on Sunday
He continued: ‘Bless your huge heart Sisto.’
The 53-year-old was one of a string of celebrities who have paid tribute to Sisto.
Today Extra host David Campbell shared a touching tribute to the cafe icon, after news of his death broke after the shocking incident.
Emotional: ‘Bless your huge heart Sisto’: Todd (above) wrote a simple and touching tribute to the much-loved cafe owner on his Instagram account
‘My deepest condolences go to the family of Sisto Malaspina. He was the victim in yesterday’s terror attack in Melbourne,’ began David’s heartfelt post.
‘Pellegrinis is my favourite place in the city, mainly due to him. He would yell when I came in ‘Here he is… the Artist!’, ask about my family and my father (who also went religiously).
‘An icon of Melbourne. You were never a stranger in his company… One person can be a huge loss to an entire city. RIP’.
‘He sounds like such a lovely man’: A number of fans gushed over Sisto on Todd’s Instagram account, remembering him as a kind and sweet man
Oscar winner and Gladiator star Russell Crowe also took to Twitter to pay his respects, saying he had been going to Pellegrini since 1987.
‘Never been to Melbourne without dropping in on my main man Sisto,’ Russell wrote on social media site, Twitter.
‘My sweet loyal friend stabbed in the street by a mad man.’
‘Pellegrinis is my favourite place in the city, mainly due to him’: Today Extra host David Campbell (above) also wrote of his affection for Sisto
Mr Malaspina was murdered by Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, 30, as he ran to help what he thought was a car crash victim just blocks from his coffee shop at about 4.20pm on Friday.
However, Khalif had deliberately crashed his Holden Rodeo that was loaded with gas canisters and set the car alight after mounting the pavement near the Swanson Street intersection.
By trying to do a good deed, Mr Malaspina, who became a grandfather last Saturday, became the murderous knifeman’s first victim.
‘Never been to Melbourne without dropping in on my main man Sisto’: Oscar winner Russell Crowe (above) let fans know he had been doing to Pellegrini since 1987
Two others were also stabbed before Khalif then turned on police.
Mr Malaspina came to Australia from Italy and took over Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar in 1976 with his business partner, Nino Pangrazio, and maintained its original 1954 decor.
The cafe, with its heritage-listed neon sign, became a popular haunt for urban professionals, tourists, and even politicians like former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.
Overflowing: Floral tributes have been left outside Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar in Melbourne following Sisto’s tragic death