Tony Sirico Sopranos actor dies age 79

• Tony Sirico played Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri on the hit HBO show.
• He costarred with James Gandolfini and Edie Falco in all six seasons of The Sopranos.
• Sirico also appeared in Lilyhammer, A Bronx Tale, and Goodfellas.

Tony Sirico Sopranos actor, who played Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri on the hit HBO show, has died aged 79, his family has announced.

The actor passed away on Friday morning at an assisted living home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He costarred with James Gandolfini and Edie Falco in all six seasons of The Sopranos.

Along with Lilyhammer, A Bronx Tale, and Goodfellas, Sirico starred in several gangster movies and television series.

His brother Robert Sirico thanked followers for their sympathies in a post on Facebook, asking for solitude in the wake of the news.

“​It is with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories, that the family of Gennaro Anthony ‘Tony’ Sirico wishes to inform you of his death on the morning of July 8, 2022,” the statement read.

“​The family is deeply grateful for the many expressions of love, prayer and condolences and requests that the public respect its privacy in this time of bereavement.”

The two of Sirico’s children, Joanne Sirico Bello and Richard Sirico, as well as his grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, and a large number of additional kin continue to live.

His brother will perform a Christian funeral service on Wednesday, July 13 in Brooklyn, New York.

Wounded Warriors, St Jude’s Hospital, and the Acton Institute, to which Sirico was a major donor, are all worthy recipients of memorial contributions in his honour.

Sirico’s manager Bob McGowan also confirmed the actor’s death to the PA news agency, saying that he “was nothing like his character in the Sopranos”.

“He was a very loyal client of 25 years and he’s an ex-army vet and always gave to charities,” McGowan told PA.

“He’s a big contributor to the Wounded Warriors and would always go to children’s hospitals.

“He was a great guy, nothing like his character on the Sopranos.”

Mr McGowan said that the actor had suffered from dementia and in the last few years of his life “couldn’t remember things”.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and other members of Sirico’s Sopranos cast paid tribute to the “truly irreplaceable” actor.

Imperioli, who appeared on the show as Christopher Moltisanti, expressed his “heartbroken” and pride at having produced “a lot of my best work” with Sirico.

“Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone I’ve ever known,” he posted on Instagram.

“We found a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I am proud to say I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear pal Tony.

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“I will miss him forever. He is truly irreplaceable. I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans.

 

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Bracco, who played doctor Jennifer Melfi, said she had “a lifetime of memories” with Sirico.

“I adore Tony Sirico,” she wrote, sharing two pictures of the pair together.

“A stand up guy who always had my back and who loved my children and my parents.”

Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano, said Sirico was “tough and strong, yet sweet and a real artist” and that she was “lucky to have known” him.

“I have never been able to walk into a room that you were in without you giving me an enormous hug, drenching me in your cologne, and making sure I knew any man that came near me would have to answer to you first,” she said.

“You were tough, and strong, yet sweet and a real artist. There will never ever be anyone like you.”

 

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Sirico was born in New York on July 29, 1942.

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He had been arrested more than 20 times before he started acting and was convicted of various felonies.

His past is said to have had an impact on his acting, and he was well recognised for playing odious characters in movies.

He appeared in a number of films, including Mob Queen, Mighty Aphrodite, Love and Money, Fingers, The One Man Jury, Defiance, The Last Fight, and Innocent Blood, in addition to The Sopranos and Goodfellas.

In the movies Dead Presidents and Deconstructing Harry, he also played police officers.

More recently, in 2013, he voiced Vinny Griffin, the family’s pet dog, replacing the deceased Brian Griffin in three episodes of the US animation Family Guy.