Earlier today, Goodfellas and Field of Dreams actor Ray Lotta passed away at the age of 67. No details about his death have been revealed other than he passed in his sleep while in the Dominican Republic to shoot his latest project, Dangerous Waters. With a career that last four decades, Liotta touched a lot of lives over his time on Earth, and in addition to plenty of fans expressing sadness that he’s no longer with us, many celebrities, including Seth Rogen and Jamie Lee Curtis, have turned to social media to pay tribute to him.
Starting off, we have Seth Rogen, who co-starred with Ray Liotta in 2009’s Observe and Report, the dark comedy about a vigilante mall cop who tries to join the police academy. Rogen said the following about getting to work with Liotta:
I can’t believe Ray Liotta has passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person. Working with him was one of the great joys of my career and we made some of my favorite scenes I ever got to be in. A true legend of immense skill and grace.May 26, 2022
Going to Jamie Lee Curtis, she went way back with Ray Liotta, with the two of them starring together in 1988’s Dominick and Eugene, which was about twin brothers, one of whom became intellectually disabled after an accident. Curtis summarized her feelings about Liotta with these words:
Ray Liotta has died. His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. A gentle man. So sad to hear.May 26, 2022
I’ve already mentioned the movie, but it bears repeating that one of Ray Liotta’s most well-known flicks was Goodfellas, the film adaptation about the rise and fall of mobster Henry Hill. Among Liotta’s costars in the 1990 crime movie was Lorraine Bracco, who played the Karen Hill to Liotta’s Henry. Bracco said this about the late actor:
I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray. I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta. pic.twitter.com/3gNjJFTAneMay 26, 2022
Next, we have James Mangold, who directed Ray Liotta in both 1997’s Cop Land and 2003’s Identity. Here’s how Mangold remembered his time with Liotta:
Shocked and saddened to hear of Ray Liotta’s passing. Beyond the tough guy exterior and the tightly wound emotions of his signature characters, he was a sweet, playful and passionate collaborator and brilliant actor. RIP. pic.twitter.com/O5tueLlBMPMay 26, 2022
One of Ray Liotta’s final onscreen appearances before his death was in The Many Saints of Newark, where he played twin brothers “Hollywood Dick” and “Sally” Moltisanti. Liotta appeared opposite Alessandro Nivola, who played Dickie Moltisanti, Dick’s son, and Nivola recalled the time he spent with Liotta on the Sopranos prequel movie as follows:
RIP Ray Liotta. I feel so lucky to have squared off against this legend in one of his final roles. The scenes we did together were among the all time highlights of my acting career. He was dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors.Too soon pic.twitter.com/FvsV2NNHkwMay 26, 2022
Finally, although Rosanna Arquette never acted in any projects with Ray Liotta, they were friends in real life, so you can understand out his death would hit her especially hard. Arquette honored Liotta with the following:
I’m really sad to hear that Ray Liotta has passed away. He was an friend back in the day and it’s very sad. We had a lot of laughs Rest In Peace My friend.May 26, 2022
These are just some of the celebrities who’ve paid tribute to Ray Liotta following his death, either on social media or in official statements (like what Robert De Niro told ET), so feel free to look around to see what other people have said. Liotta’s other major credits over the years included Something Wild, Smokin’ Aces, The Place Beyond the Pines, Marriage Story, two Muppet-led movies and the NBC series Shades of Blue, which he co-starred in with Jennifer Lopez. While it’s unclear what will happen with Liotta’s role in the previously-mentioned Dangerous Waters, he will appear in a handful of posthumously-released upcoming movies, including the wild Elizabeth Banks-directed thriller Cocaine Bear.
We here at CinemaBlend offers our condolences to Ray Liotta’s family and friends during this difficult time. He will be missed.
