Tony Sirico, Paulie of ‘The Sopranos’, Dies at 79

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Each Sopranos fan is aware of “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri, the loyal however violent lieutenant of Tony Soprano. Performed by Tony Sirico, Paulie appeared in each season of the present, and was a focus of a few of its most memorable installments, together with the immortal “Pine Barrens,” extensively regarded by most critics and followers as The Sopranos’ greatest episode.

Sadly, Sirico — whose profession stretched again years earlier than and after his most well-known work on The Sopranos — died on the morning of July 8. No explanation for loss of life was given. Sirico was 79 years outdated.

His brother Robert introduced the information on Fb, writing that Sirico’s household is “deeply grateful for the numerous expressions of affection, prayer and condolences and requests that the general public respect its privateness on this time of bereavement.”

Shortly after his loss of life grew to become public, his Sopranos co-star Michael Imperioli wrote on his Instagram account “Tony was like nobody else: he was as robust, as loyal and as massive hearted as anybody i’ve ever identified. I used to be at his facet by way of a lot: by way of good occasions and unhealthy. However principally good. And we had numerous laughs. We discovered a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I’m proud to say I did numerous my greatest and most enjoyable work with my pricey pal Tony. I’ll miss him endlessly.”

Sirico was ready to attract on a few of his personal historical past in enjoying Paulie Walnuts; he was arrested quite a few occasions in his teenagers and 20s, and in the end spent over a 12 months in jail on a wide range of expenses. A decade earlier than The Sopranos, Sirico spoke about a few of his legal previous within the 1989 documentary The Massive Bang.

Whereas he was in jail, Sirico grew to become occupied with appearing. Upon his launch, he began showing onscreen in small roles. His early movie appearances embrace Fingers, The Choose-up Artist, and Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. Within the Nineteen Nineties, he made a number of appearances in Woody Allen films together with Mighty Aphrodite, Everybody Says I Love You, and Deconstructing Harry.

However his breakthrough got here in 1999 when he landed the position as Paulie in The Sopranos. Sirico in the end appeared in 74 of the collection’ 86 episodes. Over time, Paulie grew to become one of many collection’ most complicated and engaging characters. As Paulie, Sirico might be terrifying, pathetic, relatable, monstrous, or hilarious — and he was a grasp of the malapropisms that grew to become one among The Sopranos’ comedic signatures.

Within the years after The Sopranos, Sirico appeared in additional movies and tv exhibits. However there’s little doubt what he will probably be remembered for. There’s just one Paulie Walnuts.