Ray Liotta’s cause of death became known a year after his death.
The Goodfellas star died on May 26 at the age of 67 from acute heart failure and fluid in the lungs – medically known as pulmonary edema – while also suffering from atherosclerosis, a narrowing of the arteries.
In documents obtained by TMZ, doctors categorized the manner of death as natural and nonviolent respiratory failure, pulmonary edema and acute cardiac failure.
It was then revealed that he had died in his sleep at the Casas del XVI in the Hotel Zona Colonial in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming a new film. He died weeks after filming on Dangerous Waters began.
An ambulance team had rushed to the building but he could not be saved and his body was taken to the Santo Domingo Forensic Institute.
Tragic: Ray Liotta’s cause of death has been revealed a year after his death (pictured in 2017)
Revealed: In documents obtained by TMZ, doctors categorized the manner of death as natural and nonviolent respiratory failure, pulmonary edema and acute heart failure
Sweet: The esteemed actor is survived by his fiancée Jacy Nittolo (pictured), then 46, and daughter Karsen, then 23, who he had with ex-wife Michelle Grace
The esteemed actor is survived by fiancé Jacy Nittolo, then 46, and daughter Karsen, then 23, with ex-wife Michelle Grace.
The actor was spotted in LA in March 2022, where viewers said he was “noticeably pale” and “needed help from the valet putting on his jacket.”
The source added he was “slow and sure of his feet” and Nittolo had to help him by carrying his bags from the car to the hotel.
However, he looked healthier in pictures taken in early May as he strolled through Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles with his fiancée.
Starring: He is best known for his incredible performance in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster classic Goodfellas, in which he played Henry Hill while Robert De Niro, 78, took on the role of Jimmy Conway
What is pulmonary edema?
- Pulmonary edema is a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs, causing shortness of breath
- It is caused by certain medications, kidney failure, heart failure, lung damage, and exposure to high altitude
- Treatment may include surgery, heart medications, aspiration, and diuretics
Liotta was a smoker but first appeared in ads for Chantix – a brand owned by vaccine guru Pfizer – in 2018, saying: “For years I’ve been trying to quit smoking on my own. I could not do it. I need help.”
His sudden death shocked fans as he enjoyed a major career resurgence in recent years, starring alongside Taron Egerton in Black Bird in 2022.
In recent years, he has also starred in The Many Saints of Newark, Marriage Story and No Sudden Move as his acting career picks up steam again.
However, he was best known for his incredible performance in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster classic Goodfellas, in which he played Henry Hill while Robert De Niro, 78, took on the role of Jimmy Conway.
Ray’s co-stars and friends rushed to pay tribute, including Robert, who wrote, “I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. He’s far too young to have left us.
On-screen woman Lorraine Bracco added: “I am devastated to hear this terrible news about Ray,” while Josh Brolin wrote: “My mate. My friend. How so soon? Why? I’ll miss you. I’ll remember to see you at Gold.
Before his death, the actor last spoke on Instagram, where he pocketed his new film, Cocaine Bear, which was released last year.
Heartbreak: Ray can be seen at the 22nd Annual Newport Beach Film Festival in 2021
He wrote: “Cocaine Bear follows a strange group of cops, criminals, tourists and teenagers who converge in a Georgia woods where a top 500-pound predator has ingested an amazing amount of the white powder and is on a rampage with coke for more punch to make—and blood.”
Liotta was a smoker until around 2018, when he started appearing in Pfizer’s Chantix ads, which he says helped him pack the cigarettes.
In one he says: “In the movies I often tend to play the tough guy. But I wasn’t hard enough to quit on my own – not until I tried Chantix.’
A company spokesman previously said the actor “wanted to share his story to help others” and so joined the cast for the commercials.
Sweet: Liotta was born in New Jersey in 1954 but was abandoned by his mother in an orphanage before being adopted six months later
Liotta was born in New Jersey in 1954 but was abandoned by his mother in an orphanage before being adopted six months later.
He lived with a town clerk and auto parts dealer who insisted he never thought of acting growing up in Newark.
After graduating, he moved to New York City and worked as a bartender until being cast in the 1980 soap opera Another World.
Liotta rose to fame as ex-con Ray Sinclair in the 1986 black comedy Something Wild, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.
He appeared as Shoeless Joe Jackson in the 1989 film Field Of Dreams and is best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in Goodfellas, opposite Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, directed by Martin Scorsese.
Tragic: Jacy Nittolo, a mother of four to whom Ray got engaged in December 2020, is said to have been with the movie star while filming Dangerous Waters