Grassi eventually had his shop broken into in early 1991 and the exact amount of money that had been demanded of him was stolen. An unsuccessful arson attack on his shop soon followed. The 67-year-old Grassi was gunned down in the via Vittorio Alfieri in Palermo at 7:30 in the morning on 29 August 1991, less than a year after taking his stance against the Mafia. He was shot in the head three times as he walked from his home to his car. No witnesses came forward. After the killing, 10,000 people took to the streets to protest his murder.Killing in Sicily Sets Off Backlash Against Mob, The New York Times, 12 October 1991 On 26 September 1991, TV hosts Santoro and Maurizio Costanzo dedicated a joint five-hour nationwide television programme to the memory of Grassi in a unique cooperation between the public Rai Tre and the private Canale 5, with the participation of anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone. Rai e Fininvest contro la mafia, La Repubblica, 26 September 1991
