Actor Ray Liotta, who was best known for his leading role in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 crime classic “Goodfellas,” died last year in his sleep from heart and respiratory system issues.
Liotta died on May 26, 2022. He was 67.
TMZ reported that documents obtained from officials in the Dominican Republic — where Liotta was shooting a new film, “Dangerous Waters” — said that his death was caused by “respiratory insufficiency, pulmonary edema — aka fluid in his lungs — and acute heart failure.”
The documents also said that he had atherosclerosis, which Johns Hopkins Medicine says is a thickening or hardening of the arteries that can lead to a heart attack and heart failure.
Liotta told People in November that he was busier than ever and that despite his successful career, he still did not feel like he was “there yet.”
“It’s weird how this business works, because I’ve definitely had a career that’s up and down,” he said. “For some reason, I’ve been busier this year than I have in all the years that I’ve been doing this. And I still feel I’m not there yet. I just think there’s a lot more.”
Liotta burst onto the scene in the late 80s with roles in “Something Wild” and “Field of Dreams” before he starred in “Goodfellas” in 1990 with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
“The ruggedly handsome, blue-eyed Liotta was a perfect Henry Hill, narrating a tale of his growth into an organized crime gang, the one that pulled off the famous Lufthansa heist at John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1978, making off with more than $5 million in cash and jewels stored in the German airline’s air cargo building,” Deadline reported. “The film, which Nicholas Pileggi adapted with Scorsese from his book, was nominated for six Oscars, with Pesci the lone win.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
Lorraine Bracco, who played Karen Hill in “Goodfellas,” responded to the news on Twitter, saying that the best part about making the movie was Liotta.
“I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray,” she wrote. “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.”