Star of “Sopranos” Tony Sirico passes away at 79
One of “The Sopranos”‘ primary characters, Tony Sirico, has passed away, according to TMZ.
Tony portrayed Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri in every season of the HBO popular drama Tony Soprano. Gennaro Anthony “Tony” Sirico’s family wishes to inform you of his death, they said in a Facebook post from his brother Robert, “It is with enormous regret, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of beautiful memories.”
According to Robert, Tony died early on Friday. Tony had been residing at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a few years, according to family-connected sources, and his health had been deteriorating.
RIP Tony Sirico. Legendary. Silvio’s best buddy “Paulie Walnuts” in The Sopranos, Frankie “The Fixer’s” older brother Antonino “Father Tony” Tagliano in Lilyhammer. A larger than life character on and off screen. Gonna miss you a lot my friend. Deepest condolences to the family. pic.twitter.com/pAkDnqfLEs
— 🕉🇺🇦🟦Stevie Van Zandt☮️💙 (@StevieVanZandt) July 8, 2022
Tony received two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast, thus it stands to reason that his work on “The Sopranos” will be remembered most fondly.
Fun fact: He had actually appeared in an audition for the part of Tony Soprano’s Uncle Junior, which Dominic Chianese, of course, finally won. Instead, David Chase assigned him the part of Paulie. He only ever portrayed “rats” in his acting roles, according to his one rule.
Additionally, he was cast as many mobsters or gangster parts in a tonne of films, such as “Goodfellas,” “Mighty Aphrodite,” “Gotti,” “Cop Land,” and “Mickey Blue Eyes,” in addition to voice acting gigs on cartoon classics like “Family Guy” and “American Dad.”
Sirico was a fervent supporter of the American armed forces; he and James Gandolfini even went to Iraq for a demonstration in support of the troops there. He also kept on contributing to the Wounded Warrior Project.
He is survived by his two children, Richard and Joanne, as well as by his relatives and a number of grandkids.
He was 79 years old, Tony.
RIP
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