Actor Tony Sirico, best known for his role on\u00a0The\u00a0Sopranos, has died aged 79.<\/p>\n

The actor passed away on Friday (8th July 2022) at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,\u00a0according to his manager of 25 years Bob McGowan.<\/p>\n

No cause of death was shared but Sirico had been suffering from dementia.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only was he a loyal client, he was a good friend,\u201d McGowan told\u00a0<\/i><\/span>The Hollywood Reporter.<\/a><\/p>\n

Sirico portrayed \u201cPaulie Walnuts\u201d Gualtieri, one of\u00a0Tony Soprano\u2019s chief henchmen, on the HBO series.<\/p>\n

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Sirico served in the Army before launching his acting career in the 1970s. He made his acting debut in the 1974 drama\u00a0Crazy Joe.<\/p>\n
The actor went on to land roles in films such as Cop Land, Goodfellas and Mickey Blue Eyes, while TV credits include\u00a0Miami Vice,\u00a0Chuck,\u00a0Medium,\u00a0Taxi Brooklyn\u00a0and\u00a0The Grindr.<\/p>\n
He also landed a voice role on five episodes of Family Guy as the family\u2019s temporary dog, Griffin.<\/p>\n
His Sopranos co-star Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti, led tributes to him following the tragic news of his passing.<\/p>\n
Writing on\u00a0 Instagram<\/a>, he said: \u201cIt pains me to say that my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime, the great TONY SIRICO has passed away today. Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone i\u2019ve ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He continued: \u201cI was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. But mostly good. And we had a lot of laughs. 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. I will miss him forever.<\/p>\n
pic.twitter.com\/OO72v08Hs6<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Lorraine Bracco (@Lorraine_Bracco) July 8, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>