Celebrities

Ray Liotta's 'Goodfellas' co-star leaves heartbreaking tribute to late star

Ray Liotta's 'Goodfellas' co-star leaves heartbreaking tribute to late star
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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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.

"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.

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."

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."


See some more tributes to the legendary actor in the posts below.





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.


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