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Actor Tony Sirico, best known for his role as Polly Walnuts on the hit US television show The Sopranos, died on Friday at the age of 79, his family and manager said.
Sirico, who grew up around the Italian mobsters he later portrayed in a number of movies and shows, died Friday morning at an assisted living home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to Bob McGowan, his manager of 25 years. McGowan said he did not know the cause of death.
“He was a really good guy,” McGowan said, adding that Sirico was “always giving to charities” and visiting hospitals to comfort children.
In a Facebook post, the actor’s brother, Robert Sirico, said: “The family is deeply grateful for the many expressions of love, prayers and condolences and requests that the public respect privacy at this time of great loss.”
Michael Imperioli, Sirico’s co-star who played Christopher Moltisanti on “The Sopranos,” posted a photo of the duo on Instagram Friday night, writing that he was “heartbroken” today.
“We found a rhythm as Christopher and Polly, and I’m proud to say that I did a lot of my best and funniest work with my dear friend Tony,” Imperioli’s post said. “I will miss him forever.”
On “The Sopranos” — which Rolling Stone named the greatest TV show of all time in 2016 — Sirico played cruel follower of mobster Tony Soprano, shaking down rivals and doing his boss’s dirty work when asked.
Sirico was a natural fit for the role, having grown up in the world of the Italian mafia himself. Born in New York in 1942, he was arrested 28 times starting at age 7, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1990.
“After all the times I got pinched, I knew every judge in town,” he told the publication. “In our neighborhood, if you don’t carry a gun, it’s like being the rabbit during rabbit hunting season.”
“He was that guy,” McGowan said of Sirico’s character on “The Sopranos.” “He grew up with this world.”
During his last stint in prison in the early 1970s, the Times reported, he watched a performance by a group of ex-criminals that inspired him.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Sirico played gangsters he grew up around, appearing in supporting roles in some of the most influential mob movies, including Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. He appeared in 27 films by 1990 and died in 13 of them, he told the Times that year.
He landed the role of Polly on The Sopranos in 1999, eventually appearing in nearly every episode of the six seasons.
McGowan said Sirico is an Army veteran and a longtime supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project. In 2010, Sirico and his “Sopranos” co-star James Gandolfini joined Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen for a USO tour visiting troops in the Middle East.
Sirico is survived by his two children, Joan Sirico Bello and Richard Sirico, siblings, grandchildren and other relatives, his brother wrote on Facebook.
Stevie Van Zandt, who played Silvio Dante on “The Sopranos,” tweeted Friday that Sirico was “legendary” in his role as “Silvio’s best friend” on the show.
“A larger-than-life character on and off screen,” Zand wrote. “I’m going to miss you so much my friend.”
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