Popular Actor Dies 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.

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.

Popular Actor Dies In His Sleep

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.

His sudden death shocked fans as he was embarking on a huge resurgence in his career recent years, with him staring alongside Taron Egerton in Black Bird later this year.

He also featured in The Many Saints of Newark, Marriage Story, and No Sudden Move in more recent years as his acting took off again.

But he was best known for his incredible performance in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster classic Goodfellas, where he played Henry Hill while De Niro, 78, took on the role of Jimmy Conway.

Deadline reported the star passed away in his sleep and TMZ claimed there was no foul play suspected.

His publicist Jennifer Allen, from Viewpoint, said the actor died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming Dangerous Waters. Nittolo was on location at the time of his death.

A spokesman for the Dominican Republic’s General Direction of Cinema said: ‘We understand that he was accompanied by his wife and that the wife asks that you please respect her grief.’

He is believed to have passed away at the five-star Casas del VXI on the island, which boasts on its website for being a unique collection of houses representing a new concept in fine travel lodging and the only one of its kind in hotels in Santo Domingo’.

It continues: ‘In the beautiful Colonial City, individual houses, some dating from the 16th century, combine into a single – and singular – hotel environment, which makes it suitable to provide privacy and safety to our discerned guests.

‘The meticulously restored Casas retain authentic elements of their past combined with modern comfort and distinguished hospitality that includes all the safety and health measures and protocols required in this day and age.

‘Come and experience timeless hospitality and elegance amid modern luxurious accommodations in this exclusive hotel, a proud member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ #StaySmallStaySafe.

‘Casas del XVI will renew the spirit and move the soul long after your stay has ended.’

The hotel costs $297 for a one-bed executive room per night and comes with housekeeping, butler and concierge service, and a kitchen for the chef’s use.

The luxury doubles are 375 sq ft and are ‘the perfect fit for solo travelers or couples seeking a peaceful and lovely hotel’, the website says.

A source who saw the actor in March told DailyMail.com how he looked frail and moved carefully.

They said: ‘Ray looked slow and unsteady on his feet. He was noticeably pale and needed help from the valet putting on his jacket. His fiancée was carrying all the bags to help him out.’

The actor most recently spoke on social media in an Instagram post three weeks ago where he plugged his new movie Cocaine Bear.

He wrote: ‘Cocaine Bear follows an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of the white powder and goes on a coke-fueled rampage seeking more blow — and blood.’

Liotta had been a smoker up until around 2018 when he started appearing in Pfizer’s Chantix adverts, which he said helped him pack in the cigarettes.

In one he says: ‘In the movies, a lot of times I tend to play the tough guy. But I wasn’t tough enough to quit on my own – not until I tried Chantix.’

A spokesman for the firm previously said the actor had ‘wanted to share his story to help others’ so joined its cast for the commercials.

Liotta was born in New Jersey in 1954 but was abandoned by his mother at an orphanage before being adopted six months later.

He went to live with a town clerk and auto-parts shop owner, who insisted he never contemplated acting while growing up in Newark.

After graduating he moved to New York City and worked as a barman until he was cast in soap opera Another World in 1980.

Liotta found fame playing ex-con Ray Sinclair in the 1986 black comedy Something Wild, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.

He went on to star as Shoeless Joe Jackson in the 1989 film Field Of Dreams and is best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in Goodfellas opposite Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci and directed by Martin Scorsese.

BY IYABO AINA 

Publisher News Rain Nigeria