American actor Vincent Pastore, known for his role as Salvatore Bonpensiero, nicknamed "Big Pussy", in the cult series "The Sopranos", has died at the age of 80. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing NBC News.
According to the actor's representative Robert Attermann, Pastore died at his home. His body was found by friends on Saturday, August 1. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
"To the world he will always be remembered as the unforgettable 'Big Pussy', but to those of us who knew him, he was much more than just a friend," Attermann said, recalling the character the actor played in "The Sopranos".
Pastore gained worldwide fame in 1999 after the release of the HBO crime drama. In the series, he played Salvatore Bonpensiero – a close friend of Tony Soprano, a member of a mafia group and later an FBI informant, whose actions threatened the criminal organization's activities in New Jersey.
Vincent Pastore was born on July 14, 1946, in the Bronx, New York. During the Vietnam War, he served in the U.S. Navy, and later graduated from Pace University with a degree in Dramatic Arts.
Pastore began his acting career in the late 1980s, when he was 36 years old. However, it was his role in "The Sopranos" that made him one of the most recognizable actors in stories about Italian-American mafia.
Earlier, "Kursiv" reported that Sam Neill, star of "Jurassic Park" and "Peaky Blinders", had died.