How Did Ray Liotta Die In His Sleep? Goodfellas star Ray Liotta has died in his sleep at a hotel in the Dominican Republic at the age of 67 where he had been filming a new movie – as co-star Robert De Niro led tributes.
The legendary gangster actor passed away in bed at Casas del XVI in Zona Colonial on Thursday just weeks after filming started on Dangerous Waters.
An emergency service team had rushed to the building but he could not be saved, with his body transferred to the forensic institute of Santo Domingo. There is understood to be no suspicion of foul play.
How Did Ray Liotta Die In His Sleep?
People linked to the upcoming movie were spotted leaving the hotel with suitcases and props on Thursday afternoon after news of his death spread.
Liotta leaves behind his fiancee Jacy Nittolo, 46, as well as his daughter Karsen, 23, who he had with ex-wife Michelle Grace.
The actor had been spotted out and about in LA in March where onlookers said he appeared ‘noticeably pale’ and ‘needed help from the valet putting on his jacket’.
The source added he was ‘slow and steady on his feet’ and Nittolo had to help him by carrying his bags from the car to the hotel.
But he looked healthier in pictures taken at the start of this month as he strolled through Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles with his fiancee.
Liotta had been a smoker but started appearing in adverts for Chantix – a brand run by vaccine guru’s Pfizer – in 2018, with one saying: ‘I tried to quit smoking for years on my own. I couldn’t do it. I needed help.’
The cause of his death remains unclear and there is no suggestion the Hollywood superstar died of a smoking-related illness.
Meanwhile tributes flooded in for the beloved film star – who also featured in Field of Dreams – with fellow actors and other celebrities paying their respects to him on Thursday afternoon:
- Robert De Niro said: ‘I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. He is way too way young to have left us’
- David Chase said: ‘This is a massive, unexpected shock. I was glad he worked on The Many Saints of Newark’
- On-screen wife in Goodfellas Lorraine Bracco said: ‘I’m utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about Ray’
- Josh Brolin said: ‘My buddy. My friend. How so soon? Why? I’ll miss you. I will think about seeing you at Gold’s’
- Seth Rogan said: ‘I can’t believe Ray Liotta passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person’
- Jamie Lee Curtis added: ‘His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. A gentle man. So sad’
Rumors Surface On Twitter Of Fake Weed and Cocaine Addiction
It is not strange for fake trendsetters online to relate actors to Cocaine and Weed consumption. There has been no concrete evidence of Ray Liotta using substances previously or during his shooting in the Dominican Republic.
Liotta’s death was described as “a big, unexpected shock” by The Sopranos creator David Chase. He paid tribute to “a very warm and amusing person” and “a truly excellent actor” in a statement.
Despite his reputation as a rough guy, Liotta has claimed that he is not who people think he is. “I’ve never been in a fight,” Chase added.
Furthermore, he stated in an interview, “except during sports, and that’s just pushing and dumb kid stuff.”
Marriage Story and Amazon’s small-screen version of Hanna are two of his most recent projects.
Ray’s final roles, which are still to be seen, include Taron Egerton’s Apple thriller series Black Bird and Elizabeth Banks’ Cocaine Bear.
Did Ray Liotta Ever Did Drugs?
Ray Liotta drugs and using weed before his death has come surfacing on Twitter news. However, the actor died in a hotel room while asleep.
Representatives for Liotta told The Hollywood Reporter and NBC News that he died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday night.
He was filming a new film in the Dominican Republic. “Utterly devastated to hear this horrible news about my Ray,” Lorraine Bracco, who played Karen Hill in “Goodfellas,” tweeted on Thursday.
Well shit, looks like I will be watching Goodfellas for the millionth time (the WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE DRUGS, KAREN Monkey Man scene, how much do you need? and fuck you pay me will never die in this house.) RIP Ray Liotta. I have stolen so so many of your best lines. Godspeed.
— FakaktaSouth (@FakaktaSouth) May 26, 2022
Nonetheless, Ray played movies where he mentioned drugs many times, which might be a factor his death has been vaguely related to drug use on Twitter.
Liotta garnered a Golden Globe nomination for 1986’s Something Wild after modest performances on TV and a small role in 1983’s The Lonely Lady.
In 1989, Liotta starred in Field of Dreams before starring as Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas.
Ray Liotta Dead: Cause of Death Not Clear
According to TMZ, no foul play is suspected in the actor’s death. “We’re also told there was nothing suspicious about the death, and no foul play is suspected,” the entertainment site reported, confirming that Liotta was dead.
Was Liotta married? No, he did not have a wife. He did have a fiancée, Jacy Nitollo, whom he asked to marry in December 2020, according to an Instagram post from his official account.
“His fiancée Jacy Nittolo was with him while he was filming,” TMZ reported. He also leaves behind a daughter, Karsen.
One of his last posts on Instagram showed Liotta meeting Frankie Avalon in February.
The movie “Dangerous Waters” is a movie in production that is to be “set around a sailing holiday that spirals out of control when a teenage daughter (Odeya Rush) traveling with her mother (Burrows) uncovers the dark past of her mom’s new boyfriend (Liotta),” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Liotta Was Born in New Jersey & Started His Acting Career in Television
According to his IMDb profile, Liotta was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was adopted by a town clerk and auto parts store owner.
After studying acting in Miami, he began working in television (“Another World”) before moving into film. One of his first breaks was Jonathan Demme’s “Something Wild” in 1986.
RIP Ray Liotta, 67.
Brilliant actor, loved him in Goodfellas. Sad news. pic.twitter.com/TV9BO419MM— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 26, 2022
He routinely played psychotic and intense characters. He is most known for the Martin Scorsese mob masterpiece “Goodfellas,” in which he played real-life mobster Henry Hill. His other film credits, according to IMDb, included “Article 99” (1992), “Unlawful Entry” (1992) and “Unforgettable” (1996).
