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Breanna Robinson
May 26, 2022
Ray Liotta Dead at 67
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Ray Liotta's Goodfellas co-star Lorraine Bracco left him a heartbreaking tribute following his sudden death on Thursday (26 May), aged 67.
Bracco took to her official Twitter to share this message: "I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray.
"I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta."
According to Variety, the actor was in the Dominican Republic at the time of his death shooting the film Dangerous Waters.
His publicist confirmed that the actor went to sleep and never woke up.
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\u201cI am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray. \nI can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same\u2026Ray Liotta.\u201d— Lorraine Bracco (@Lorraine Bracco) 1653584152
Liotta is iconically known for his performance as real-life American mobster Henry Hill, an associated of the Lucchese family in Martin Scorsese's 1990 film, Goodfellas.
Bracco, who played Hill's wife Karen in the film, also went on to play Dr Jennifer Melfi, the therapist to Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini) in the HBO classic seriesThe Sopranos.
Liotta recently earned acclaim for his double role as twin brothers "Hollywood Dick" Moltisanti and Salvatore "Sally" Moltisanti in The Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark.
He also wrapped the production on the Elizabeth Banks-directed film Cocaine Bear.
"Ray Liotta has died. His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. A gentle man. So sad to hear," wrote actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
\u201cRay Liotta has died. His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. A gentle man. So sad to hear.\u201d— Jamie Lee Curtis (@Jamie Lee Curtis) 1653583260
"I can't believe Ray Liotta has passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person. Working with him was one of the great joys of my career, and we made some of my favorite scenes I ever got to be in. A true legend of immense skill and grace," added Seth Rogan.
\u201cI can\u2019t believe Ray Liotta has passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person. Working with him was one of the great joys of my career and we made some of my favorite scenes I ever got to be in. A true legend of immense skill and grace.\u201d— Seth Rogen (@Seth Rogen) 1653585946
American film director James Mangold said that he was "shocked and saddened" to hear the news of the actor's passing.
"Beyond the tough guy exterior and the tightly wound emotions of his signature characters, he was a sweet, playful and passionate collaborator and brilliant actor. RIP."
\u201cShocked and saddened to hear of Ray Liotta\u2019s passing. Beyond the tough guy exterior and the tightly wound emotions of his signature characters, he was a sweet, playful and passionate collaborator and brilliant actor. RIP.\u201d— Mangold (@Mangold) 1653582450
Alessandro Nivola, a fellow actor alongside Liotta in The Many Saints of Newark, also took to social media to express how he feels "so lucky" to have worked with Liotta "in one of his final roles."
"The scenes we did together were among the all time highlights of my acting career. He was dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors. Too soon."
\u201cRIP Ray Liotta. I feel so lucky to have squared off against this legend in one of his final roles. The scenes we did together were among the all time highlights of my acting career. He was dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors.Too soon\u201d— Alessandro Nivola (@Alessandro Nivola) 1653584127
See some more tributes to the legendary actor in the posts below.
\u201cRIP Ray Liotta. Hope they don't serve you egg noodles and ketchup in heaven\u201d— Matt Oswalt (@Matt Oswalt) 1653581649
\u201cRIP Ray Liotta!! Loved your work \u2764\ufe0f\nhttps://t.co/XmoRVn4L3R\u201d— Viola Davis (@Viola Davis) 1653583257
\u201cI\u2019m really sad to hear that Ray Liotta has passed away. He was an friend back in the day and it\u2019s very sad. We had a lot of laughs Rest In Peace My friend.\u201d— \u270c\ud83c\udffcrosanna arquette (@\u270c\ud83c\udffcrosanna arquette) 1653582963
\u201cOne of the greatest scenes in movie history. RIP Ray Liotta.\n\nhttps://t.co/yo6Y6kqLjM\u201d— David Scott (@David Scott) 1653582466
\u201c\u201cAs far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster.\u201d\n\nRest In Peace to Ray Liotta.\u201d— Eric Alper \ud83c\udfa7 (@Eric Alper \ud83c\udfa7) 1653584281
\u201cRIP the great Ray Liotta, who could make movies feel chaotic in the best way.\u201d— Sean Fennessey (@Sean Fennessey) 1653581565
Elsewhere, the actor is also known for the praised baseball film Field of Dreams, in which he portrayed real-life early 1900s American baseball player Joe Jackson, nicknamed “Shoeless Joe.”
His most notable line in the film came at the end of the film, "if you can build it, he will come".
The movie received an Academy Award nomination and was even chosen for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2017.Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
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