It’s with deep sadness that we announce that Goodfellas actor and Emmy winner, Ray Liotta died on the 26th of May. He died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic. Investigations indicate that there was no foul play and at the time, Ray was with his fiance, Jacy Nittolo. Mr. Liotta was a father to his daughter, Karsen who is 23 years old. Friends, colleagues, and fans have come out in an outpouring of sadness after the news of the renowned actor’s passing.
Ray Liotta Played Henry Hill in Goodfellas
Ray Liotta was mostly known for his role in the 1990 film, ‘Goodfellas‘ where he played Henry Hill. In the movie, he strives to climb the ranks of the mob and is caught after roughing up a debtor. He is then released from prison on parole and goes back to dealing cocaine. He also takes part in a plot to rob $6 million from a vault, after which most of the crew is murdered. Henry is spared but grows more paranoid and while undertaking a drug deal, is arrested again. During the raid in the leadup to his arrest, his wife Karen flushes $60,000 worth of cocaine down the toilet, something that he is heavily disappointed by. He is later called to perform a mob hit but is suspicious that he and his wife are being set up to be murdered. Henry finally enters the witness protection program and leaves his exciting gangster life for what he sees as becoming an average ‘schnook’.
A Real-Life Goodfella in a Good Way
In real life, Ray Liotta was a good guy. He valued family and spending his time with his fiance and daughter. In an interview, his fiance said “he was everything in the world to me and we couldn’t get enough of each other.” He was very much a family man, despite being adopted from an orphanage in his earlier life. Ray’s biological parents gave him up for adoption, a matter that disturbed him most of his life, until his forties when he met his biological mom. In an interview, he said that he understood better in his forties why someone would give up their child and that he did not hold any anger about being adopted. He also said that he was lucky to have been born and to have been adopted by his foster family.
Ray Liotta – An Icon of His Age
Ray Liotta was an icon in his own right. He did very solid portrayals of the bad boy cocaine-snorting type, even in his old age. He was also featured in numerous hit music videos by artists like David Guetta and Calvin Harris. Recently, he had featured in ‘Hanna’ and ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ and at the time of his death, had been filming ‘Dangerous Waters’.
To me, Ray represented versatility. He had a vibe in his films where he could play ‘the wise guy’ so well and still end up in jail or caught and admitting his wrongs. He represented the eighties also and the madness of the age but also morphed into the 21st Century without losing his fervor or passion for acting. We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fans, and we pray that God may Rest his Soul in Eternal Peace. Rest Easy Ray Liotta!
