May 23, 2005 -- A renowned waiter at the swank Four Seasons restaurant - beloved by powerbrokers, celebrities and wiseguys alike for more than three decades - was tragically killed in a sweeping fire at his East Side apartment yesterday.
Jorge Marquez, 70, the senior captain at the legendary eatery, died of smoke inhalation in his 13th-floor apartment on East 59th Street, just a brisk 10-minute walk from where he worked for 35 years.
His stepson, Teodoro Aubert, 65, said he believed the cause of the blaze was a burning memorial candle for Marquez's late wife that may have been knocked over by his two cats, Baby and Kitty, who also died in the flash fire.
The smoky blaze broke out at 12:50 p.m. and was under control by 1:20 p.m., fire officials said, adding that the cause of the fire was not known.
Marquez was not working yesterday because the restaurant is closed on Sundays.
His daughter, Solange, 38, who lives with her dad, was not at home at the time. "Even in the worst times of my life, he never abandoned me. He was a noble person, even though he was very strict," she said.
His son, Jorge Jr., said their father often regaled them with stories of his famous diners.
"John Gotti was one of the biggest tippers, and some of the most powerful CEO's were the worst tippers. He liked Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
"My father knew how to handle these people with respect."
Another big tipper was Mayor Bloomberg.
The Chilean-born Marquez once recounted a run-in with Donald Trump.
Trump was entertaining some Japanese businessmen and ordered the cheapest bottle of wine on the menu, Marquez once told the New York Sun.
But when he advised The Donald that it would cost the host more to decant the bottle than the price of the wine, a furious Trump vowed that he would never ask for him again - and never did.
Another time, Marquez said that Gotti suspected that a light in a table plant might be bugged and asked to be moved to another table.
But fearing that Gotti might not be pleased with the other table's location, Marquez asked the owner to move the Dapper Don instead. He never did.
Over the years, Marquez's regulars included actors Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Jack Lemmon and Jack Palance, as well as The Rolling Stones, Aubert said.
"He didn't hurry up with life, he took it slow. He took his time. He always minded his own business and he was always pleasant."
He was also a big donor to the Republican Party, and was thrilled to meet President Bush during last year's campaign, Marquez's children said.
