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Actor Tony Sirico, known for his role as Paulie Walnuts on the popular American television show “The Sopranos,” died Friday at age 79, his family and manager announced.
Sirico, who grew up around Italian mobsters who he later portrayed in various films and shows, died Friday morning at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to Bob McGowan, his manager for 25 years. years. McGowan said he did not know the cause of death.
“He was a very good guy,” McGowan said, adding that Sirico “always donated to charities” and visited hospitals to comfort the children.
In a post on Facebook, the actor’s brother, Robert Sirico, said: “The family is deeply grateful for the many expressions of love, prayer and condolences and asks the public to respect their privacy in this time of mourning. “.
Michael Imperioli, the co-star of Sirico who played Christopher Moltisanti in “The Sopranos,” posted a photo of the duo on Instagram Friday night, writing that he had “a broken heart today.”
“We’ve found a groove like Christopher and Paulie and I’m proud to say that I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear friend Tony,” Imperili’s post said. “I’ll miss him forever.”
In “The Sopranos,” which Rolling Stone ranked as the best TV show of all time in 2016, Sirico played the violent henchman to mobster Tony Soprano, shaking up rivals and doing the dirty work of his boss when asked.
Sirico naturally adapted to the role as he grew up in the Italian mafia world. Born in New York City in 1942, he was arrested 28 times from the age of 7, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1990.
“After all the times I was pinched, I met all the judges in town,” he told the post. “In our neighborhood, if you didn’t carry a gun, it was like you were the rabbit during the rabbit hunting season.”
“It was that person,” McGowan said of Sirico’s character in “The Sopranos.” “He grew up with this world.”
During his last stay in prison in the early 1970s, the Times reported, he saw a performance by a group of swindled exactors who inspired him.
During the 1980s and 90s, Sirico played the type of gangsters he grew up with, appearing in minor roles in some of the most influential mobster films, such as Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas.” In 1990 he had acted in 27 films and died in 13 of them, he told the Times that year.
She landed the role of Paulie in “The Sopranos” in 1999, and eventually appeared in almost every episode of her six seasons.
McGowan said Sirico was an army veteran and a longtime supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project. In 2010, Sirico and his “Sopranos” co-star James Gandolfini joined the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen for a USO tour visiting troops throughout the Middle East.
Sirico is survived by his two children, Joanne Sirico Bello and Richard Sirico, brothers, grandchildren and other relatives, his brother wrote on Facebook.
Stevie Van Zandt, who played Silvio Dante in “The Sopranos,” tweeted Friday that Sirico was “legendary” in his role as “Silvio’s best friend” on the show.
“A character bigger than life on and off the screen,” Zandt wrote. “I’ll miss you so much my friend.”