Legendary Hollywood star Ray Liotta passed away at the age of 67, reports confirmed on Thursday.
Ray Liotta dies: What’s the cause of death?
Liotta, best known for his central role in the cult mob movie Goodfellas, lost his life while filming in the Dominican Republic, his publicist Jen Allen informed AP News.
Suspicion is rife on Liotta’s cause of death. According to Allen, the 67-year-old was last seen heading into his hotel room to sleep but didn’t wake up on Thursday.
Dominican Republic police were alerted at 06:00 but by then, it was too late.
At this juncture, the circumstances that led to the actor’s death remain unclear.
Liotta is survived by his daughter Karsen from his ex-wife Michelle Grace and fiancee Jacy Nittolo.
Ray Liotta biography
Ray Liotta was a Newark, New Jersey native, born on 18 December 1954. At six months, he was adopted from an orphanage by his foster parents, a township clerk and an auto parts merchant.
It was always presumed that Liotta was Italian, aesthetically, he fit the bill. However, later in his life, on his journey to track down his roots, he discovered that, in fact, he was Scottish.
Liotta, with very little exposure to drama — he took a class in high school — picked up the course at the University of Miami and once he’d graduated, he hired an agent.
It wasn’t long before the actor got his first big break on the 1964 soap opera Another World.
Other critically acclaimed movies Liotta starred in include:
- Something Wild
- Field of Dreams
- Goodfellas
- Blow
- Marriage Story
- Killing Them Softly
- Unlawful Entry
- Cop Land
- Narc
- The Place Beyond The Pines
Reactions to Liotta’s death
News of Liotta’s passing struck a chord in Hollywood. His peers and fans took to social media to pay homage to the star. Here are some of the reactions to the actor’s death:
I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray.
— Lorraine Bracco (@Lorraine_Bracco) May 26, 2022
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. pic.twitter.com/3gNjJFTAne
One of the greatest scenes in movie history. RIP Ray Liotta.pic.twitter.com/yo6Y6kqLjM
— David Scott (@arghkid) May 26, 2022
That's range.
— Museum of the Moving Image (@MovingImageNYC) May 26, 2022
RIP Ray Liotta (1954-2022). pic.twitter.com/ALlMy2Saal
RIP Ray Liotta. One of the best performances and narrations in film history ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bEsgUt7uRK
— Martino (@MartinoPuccio) May 26, 2022
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.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) May 26, 2022