‘Goodfellas’ Star Ray Liotta Dead at 67, Celebrities Share Tributes

Wikimedia Commons, by Austin Green

“Goodfellas” star Ray Liotta died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic at the age of 67.

Liotta was on location filming sailing thriller “Dark Waters” alongside “You” actress Saffron Burrows and “Last Ship” star Eric Dane, when he died in the middle of the night beside his fiancee Jacy Nittolo.  

“We were deeply saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. It’s a tremendous loss and our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, fiancée Jacy and daughter Karsen,” the movie’s producers said in a statement. 

Liotta was born and raised in New Jersey, after being adopted from an orphanage at six months. He got his start on soap opera “Another World” in the late 1970’s, then rose to fame after being nominated for a Golden Globe for his supporting role in 1986’s “Something Wild,” beside Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith.   

Liotta charmed audiences as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Kevin Costner’s 1989 baseball classic, “Field of Dreams,” then scored the role of his career as mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

His “Goodfellas” co-star Lorraine Bracco shared a touching tribute to the actor on Twitter. “I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas,” she wrote. “Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”

“I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. He is way too young to have left us. May he Rest in Peace,” added De Niro in a statement. “God is a Goodfella and so is Ray,” said Pesci. 

He recently starred in “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark,” and completed the upcoming Apple TV series “In With The Devil.” His co-star Taron Egerton shared his grief on Instagram. 

“I have never felt such an easy, warm connection with another performer,” Egerton said. “He was so generous. If I went one way he followed me. Always dancing. Always listening. Never self-generated.”

Jennifer Lopez shared a slideshow of her “Shades of Blue” co-star on Instagram. “Ray was the epitome of a tough guy who was all mushy on the inside,” she wrote. “I guess that’s what made him such a compelling actor to watch. The original Goodfella.”

“Like all artists he was complicated, sincere, honest and so very emotional,” her post continued. “Like a raw nerve, he was so accessible and so in touch in his acting and I will always remember our time together fondly. We lost a great today.”

“Observe and Report” co-star Seth Rogan shared his sadness online. “I can’t believe Ray Liotta has passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person,” he wrote on Twitter. 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.”

He was mourned by countless others in Hollywood. 


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