Actor Tony Sirico, best known for playing pilot Peter Paul “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on HBO’s “The Sopranos.”
The news of his death was confirmed by his manager, Bob McGowan, the actor was 79 years old.
McGowan did not give a cause of death, but called Sirico a “very loyal and long-term customer” of 25 years and someone who “always gave to charity.”
Sirico’s “Sopranos” co-star Michael Imperioli also shared the news on Instagram, saying Sirico died on Friday (July 8).
“Tony was like no other, he was as loyal and big-hearted as anyone I’ve ever known. I was there for him through a lot, in good times and bad. But mostly in the good. And we laughed a lot,” he wrote.
New York-born Sirico played numerous roles in the late ’80s and ’90s, but he rose to fame on The Sopranos, playing the colorful but brutal Paulie Walnuts. CNN.
At the time of his audition, he recalled in an interview, he was 55 years old and sleeping on his mother’s couch. He had auditioned for another character, but creator David Chase approached him with another role, which turned out to be iconic in its own right.
After the show ended, Sirico appeared in Lilyhammer, The Grinder and Family Guy.
But “The Sopranos” — thanks in part to the show’s renewed broadcast popularity — remained his most memorable work.
In his decades-long career, Sirico appeared in numerous guest roles on other shows including “Kojak,” “Miami Vice,” “Chuck,” “Medium,” “Lilyhammer,” and “American Dad.”
Additionally, he temporarily lent his voice to “Family Guy” character Vinny Griffin.
Sirico and former “Sopranos” actors Federico Castelluccio and Vincent Pastore reunited for the 2018 film “Sarah Q.” /Telegraph/