Karesen and Ray Liotta. Image Source: Closer Weekly
Ray Liotta’s daughter, Karsen Liotta, remembers her father.
Ray Liotta passed away two weeks ago in his sleep in a hotel room in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting a movie. Ray Liotta’s publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed the news, and his fiancé, Jacy Nittolo, was with him when he passed away.
His daughter, Karsen Liotta, took to her social media to share a heartfelt tribute to her late father. She shared a beautiful picture of the two of them and wrote that those who knew him loved him and added that he was the best dad anyone could ask for. Karsen added "I Love You" and "Thank You" to conclude her post. She also shares a couple of pictures of her father and herself from different events in her childhood.
Ray Liotta's death was tragic and unexpected, and it rocked the whole globe. Jennifer Lopez, Robert De Niro, and Kevin Costner, among his previous co-stars, made comments expressing their condolences for his passing. Ray's death, according to Kevin Costner, was devastating and he added that he left an outstanding legacy behind him. Jennifer Lopez, who worked on "Shades of Blue" with Ray Liotta, said she would never forget him and described him as the epitome of a tough guy who was all mushy on the inside and added that just like all artists he was complicated, sincere, honest and so very emotional. JLo mentioned that the first thing she remembers is how kind he was to her kids and said that she was thrilled to be working with the original Goodfella.
Robert De Niro, who worked with the actor in the iconic 'Goodfellas', said that he was extremely saddened by the sudden and unfortunate passing of the actor and added that he was too young to have left us. Lorraine Bracco, who played Ray Liotta’s love interest in the movie, said that whenever someone comes up to her and asks her what the best part of Goodfellas was, she always tells them that it was Ray Liotta. Martin Scorsese, who was the director of "Goodfellas," said that the actor was uniquely gifted and so adventurous and courageous as an actor. The director recently wrote a piece for The Guardian in which he said that he regrets not being able to work with Ray Liotta again after Goodfellas. Martin Scorsese said that he wished he had a chance to see him once more, just to tell him how much it meant to him when they worked together, but added that maybe Ray knew all along. Martin continued to detail some of the behind-the-scenes stories from Goodfellas, stating that Ray Liotta was someone who never missed a beat and their relationship was like the one where Martin felt that they had worked for years.
Ray Liotta shared Karsen Liotta with ex-wife Michelle Grace, with whom he was married from 1997 to 2004. During an interview in 2007 with The Guardian, Ray Liotta said that he had a relationship after he got divorced and it did not feel as equal as he would have liked. Talking about his relationship with Karsen Liotta, the actor said that his whole life is about her, being Karsen’s father. The actor explained that his daughter would come up and visit him on set, and he does not like to go too long without seeing her. Ray Liotta explained that once he just had a period of four months at home because he decided not to do a movie so that he could spend more time with her. It was all about taking her to dance classes and playing with her.
Jacy Nittolo said in her tribute to her fiancé that her life over the past couple of years has been nothing but magical. Ray and she shared a deep love that she will cherish in her heart for the rest of her life, and they laughed every day and were inseparable. Jacy continued that he was everything to her in the world and they could not get enough of each other. She concluded that the kind of real love that one dreams of.
A trailer for late actor Ray Liotta's final series, Black Bird, has been published on Apple TV+. Dennis Lehane, the author of Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River, and Shutter Island is the creator of the six-episode series. The series is based on outstanding authors James Keene and Hillel Levin's crime and mystery novel In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption. The first three episodes were directed by Belgian director Michael R. Roskam, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his film Bullhead. He also serves as executive producer alongside Dennis Lehane.
The drama series follows Jimmy Keene, portrayed by Egerton, who is sentenced to ten years in a minimum-security jail but accepts a deal with the FBI in return for befriending a suspected serial killer. Jimmy Keene must get a confession from Larry Hall to unearth the remains of up to 18 women. Ray Liotta plays Jimmy's father, Big Jim Keene, and is heard in the trailer saying that he never wanted this for his kid and had envisioned a whole different one like a solid income, children, and a family.
