Actor Ray Liotta passes away in his sleep. Image Source: EW  

Actor Ray Liotta passes away in his sleep. 

According to publicist Jennifer Allen, Ray Liotta who was 67 years old and is known for his performance as Henry Hill in the film GoodFellas has passed away. Jennifer Allen mentioned that the actor passed away in his hotel room in his sleep. The publicist also shared that the actor was in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming for "Dangerous Waters" and that no foul play is suspected in his passing away. 

Jacy Nittolo, Ray Liotta's fiancée, was with him in the Dominican Republic, Jennifer Allen said, adding that the actor had only begun production for the picture a week before his death. Ray Liotta formerly married Michelle Grace, with whom he had a daughter named Karsen Liotta. In 2004, the former couple divorced.

The actor began his acting career in the late 1970s after being abandoned on the steps of an orphanage and later adopted by Mary and Alfred Liotta. He made his big-screen debut in 1983 with "The Lonely Lady," and his major role came in 1986's "Something Wild," alongside Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. Appearing in films such as Field of Dreams, in which he portrayed Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the classic GoodFellas, in which he played Henry Hill, allowed the late actor's career to soar, and he went on to become one of the most successful performers of all time.

Ray appeared in several films and television shows after GoodFellas, particularly crime dramas like Cop Land, Hannibal, Blow, John Q, Identity, Killing Them Softly, and The Place Beyond the Pines. Ray Liotta garnered SAG Award nominations for his roles as Frank Sinatra in the 2015 miniseries Texas Rising' and 'The Rat Pack,' in which he co-starred with Don Cheadle, and Joe Mantegna, and Angus Macfayden, and won a Primetime Emmy for his guest appearance on ER in 2005. Ray Liotta co-starred in the NBC sitcom "Shades of Blue" with Jennifer Lopez from 2016 to 2018.

Ray Liotta in GoodFellas. Image Source: The New York Times 

Ray Liotta kept his personal life away from the public eye but spoke about his birth mother in 2014 when he hired a private detective to find her and learned that he not only had an identical twin but also a half-brother, five half-sisters, and a full sister. The actor stated that he always knew that he was adopted and had presented a show and told reporters about the same in kindergarten. The actor opened up about his biological mother with People last year and mentioned that it was hard for him to understand how a parent could give up a child, but eventually when he met them when he was in his 40s, he mentioned that he was not angry at them. He said that he is grateful to his adoptive parents because things could have gone in a lot of different ways. Ray Liotta stated in an interview in 2012 that he never wanted to be an actor but rather a sportsperson; he mentioned baseball, basketball, and football, but recalled how in high school, his drama teacher asked him if he wanted to be in the play, and he agreed.

Ray Liotta moved on to the University of Miami to study acting and graduated in 1978. After that, he worked as a Broadway bartender before landing the part of Joey Perrini on the NBC soap Another World, which he portrayed from 1978 to 1981. Ray Liotta's portrayal of real-life gangster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas is one of the legendary roles for which the actor is still remembered. Ray Liotta drew critical acclaim for his role in James Mangold's 1997 picture Cop Land, as well as for his performance as a compulsive gambler in Phoenix in 1998.

The actor mentioned in November 2021 that the pandemic helped him and his girlfriend, Jacy Nittolo, bond over things, and they became very close. He added that he heard that there were a lot of people whose relationships did not get stronger post-pandemic because they were with each other all the time, but luckily for him and his fiancée, Jacy Nittolo, things worked out pretty well.

Ray Liotta with his fiancee Jacy Nittolo. Image Source: Page Six

Lorraine Bracco, who co-starred with the actor, rushed to social media after learning of his death to express her grief. She commented that she is devastated by the news, and that wherever she goes in the world, people approach her and tell her that their favorite movie is Goodfellas, and they always ask her what the finest part of creating the film is, to which she always responds with the same Ray Liotta.

Ray Liotta's recent roles include The Many Saints of the Network, Marriage Story, and No Sudden Move, to name a few. Ray Liotta had recently wrapped up Elizabeth Banks' 'Cocaine Bear' and was gearing up to star in the 'The Substance' opposite actresses Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. 

The late actor was also due to executive produce the A&E docuseries Five Families, which follows the rise and fall of the New York mafia families Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo, and Lucchese.