Dr. Nelson Paul Castellano

Dr. Nelson Paul Castellano passed away peacefully on November 18, 2022, surrounded by family, in Tampa, Florida at the age of 84. He was born on July 23rd, 1938, in Ybor City/Tampa, Florida. He is predeceased by his parents, Joseph Castellano and Josephine Pizzo Castellano. Dr. Castellano’s parents were Italian descendants that taught the value of hard work as they continued to run their Italian imported food store, Castellano and Pizzo, which opened in 1892 in Ybor City, Florida.

Dr. Castellano attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Academy, graduating in 1957 as the salutatorian where he was an altar boy and a member of the basketball team. Dr. Castellano’s first love was unquestionably his family and his friends. He is survived by his daughter, Nicole Castellano Ekendahl and his son, Dr. Joseph John Castellano; three grandchildren, Lia, Ashtyn and Trevor Ekendahl; his brother, Paul Joseph Castellano, Sr. and wife, Jackie Castellano; his sister, Eileen Castellano Arnold and her husband, the Honorable James Arnold; nieces and nephews Suzanne Roberts, Christine Kuzmick, Paul Castellano Jr., Jimmy Arnold and Christopher Arnold. He also leaves behind countless cousins and friends that speak about his unbelievable zest for life, love for traveling the world and how he lived without regret.

Dr. Castellano attended Tulane University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He then attended graduate school at the University of Florida. During the summers of 1964 and 1965, he worked at the World’s Fair in New York City and was mostly known as the social chair amongst his friends. He then attended Loyola University in New Orleans and graduated as a Doctor of Dental Surgery and went on to complete three years of residency at Louisiana State University in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. In September of 1971, he joined Dr. Linebaugh in private practice, eventually taking over the practice after 18 months. During his medical career, he performed countless temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgeries, wisdom teeth extractions and reconstruction of the jaw due to acute trauma. He was affiliated with Tampa General Hospital, Brandon Humana, University Community Hospital, Tampa Memorial Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital where he was chief of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery for several decades. Dr. Castellano was also an active member of American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) as well as was the past president of the Florida Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (FSOMS). He was adoringly called Doctor C by many of the professionals that worked alongside him.

In 1977, he started a side hustle called Barcole Concerts, later changing the name to American Concerts with his dear friend, Stan Tipton, and promoted thousands of concerts for artists such as Frank Sinatra (his favorite), Neil Diamond, the Jacksons, Madonna, Sammy Davis, Jr, Liza Minnelli, The Eagles, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston, Cher, Jimmy Buffett, The Grateful Dead, Julio Iglesias, and many, many more. American Concerts rose to be the prominent promoter in the southeast promoting between 50 to 60 concerts per year for over 30 years. The first concert he promoted was Barry White, which was not successful. He learned his lesson from that concert and went on to promote Donna Summer, which was a hit. From that point forward, he was determined to be successful in the concert promotion business and became known as the “Doc of Rock.”

Nelson was an avid football fan, loyal to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had season tickets since the inaugural season in 1976 and sat in the big sombrero (old Tampa Stadium) when the stands were empty. His children remember begging him to leave and Nelson would stay almost to the bitter end. He also attended every Super Bowl except for the first one and the last few since he has been ill.

Nelson’s weekends were mostly spent creating memories, at the beach or boating. Nelson loved anything involving the water, was an exceptional diver and made lobster season in Key West an extraordinary event for family and friends annually. One of his famous phrases was “Let’s take a leap to the deep!” Nelson valued experiences over possessions and made travelling a top priority. He planned a trip at least once a month. A top bucket list excursion was to circle the world visiting several exotic destinations along the way. It was paramount to Nelson to share his love of travel with his children and they admiringly follow in his footsteps.

Nelson never wanted to retire but was forced to do so because of his battle with Parkinson’s Disease and extreme knee pain from an old tennis injury.

A visitation will be held at The Tampa Women's Club, 2901 Bayshore Blvd, Tampa, FL 33629, Friday, December 2nd, from 6pm to 8pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at Christ the King Catholic Church in South Tampa on Saturday, December 3rd at 12pm. Entombment will follow at Myrtle Hill Memorial Park, 4202 E Lake Avenue, Tampa. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Nelson’s honor to Moffitt Cancer Center at https://give.moffitt.org/site/Donation2?1080.donation=form1&df_id=1080&mfc_pref=T or at Ways to Give | American Parkinson Disease Association (apdaparkinson.org)