Annapurna Pictures/Plan B Entertainment
Ray Liotta, who passed away at the age of 67 years old last May while filming a movie in the Dominican Republic, died due to “respiratory insufficiency, pulmonary edema, and acute heart failure.”
According to a report from TMZ, Liotta’s untimely death was caused by “respiratory insufficiency, pulmonary edema, (fluid in his lungs) and acute heart failure” and that he also suffered from “atherosclerosis,” which is a “thickening of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining.”
Additionally, it’s been confirmed that Liotta died in his sleep, which was reported at the time of his death.
Since his passing, Liotta has made a handful of posthumous appearances, as he starred in the AppleTV+ series Black Bird and the Universal film Cocaine Bear.
He also has a role in the upcoming comedy Fool’s Paradise, which is the feature directorial debut of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star Charlie Day, the body horror film The Substance alongside Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore, the John Barr-directed thriller Dangerous Waters, and Clash, which is a film about the infamous Los Angeles riots in the 90s.
Liotta, of course, was best known for his performance as real-life mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster epic Goodfellas, which was surprisingly just Liotta’s fifth appearance in a feature film.
In a statement released after his death, Goodfellas director and legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese hailed Liotta as a “fearless” actor that was “uniquely gifted, so adventurous, and so courageous.”
“Playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot. He absolutely amazed me, and I’ll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture,” Scorsese said of Liotta’s career-defining performance.
In addition to Goodfellas, the beloved actor was also known for his work in movies such as Field of Dreams, Cop Land, Hannibal, Blow, John Q., Smokin’ Aces, Observe and Report, Youth in Rebolt, Killing Them Softly, The Place Beyond The Pines, Marriage Story, The Many Saints of Newark and many more.