Since the tragic news of Ray Liotta’s death aged just 67 last year, his cause of death has finally been revealed.
The heartbreaking news hit the headlines on Thursday, May 26, 2022…
Veteran actor, Ray Liotta, tragically passed away.
The world was absolutely shocked at his passing.
But more so, there was one lingering question on everybody’s lips.
How did this charismatic star die unexpectedly aged just 67?
It seemed totally out of the blue.
Well, a year on, Liotta’s cause of death has finally been revealed.
Scroll on to find out …
The star was best known for playing Henry Hill in the hit 1990 gangster film Goodfellas.
However, Liotta also appeared in the 1989 film Field of Dreams, playing dead baseball player, shoeless Joe Jackson, who came back to life for one more game.
When the news came out last year, Director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro, who both worked alongside Liotta, shared their tributes to the star…
Scorsese called Liotta a “courageous” actor, stating that he was “uniquely gifted.”
Scorsese said he was “absolutely shocked and devastated” by the tragic news, and that Liotta was amazing to work with.
“Playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot,” he explained.
“He absolutely amazed me, and I’ll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture.
“My heart goes out to his loved ones, and it aches for his loss, way too early.”
De Niro also said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter: “I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing.”
“He is way too way young to have left us. May he Rest in Peace.”
Jennifer Lopez, who co-stared with Liotta in Shades of Blue, called him her “partner in crime” in a tribute on Twitter.
“The first thing that comes to mind is he so was kind to my children,” she tweeted.
“Ray was the epitome of a tough guy who was all mushy on the inside…”
“I guess that’s what made him such a compelling actor to watch.”
Singer Ed Sheeran also shared a tribute, calling Liotta “such a fun guy.”
He got to know him on the set of his 2015 music video for the hit track Bloodstream.
And it appears they struck up a bond.
“So very sad to hear of Ray Liotta’s passing,” he wrote.
“I got to work with him on the ‘Bloodstream’ music video with Emil Nava, and got hung out with him at gigs.
“He was such a fun guy, so so sweet, and I loved being around him.”
“Goodfellas will always be my favorite movie.”
“Will raise a toast tonight for him.”
As the tributes kept rolling in for the star, actor Seth Rogen
labeled Liotta as a “lovely, talented and hilarious person.”
“Working with him was one of the great joys of my career.”
“We made some of my favorite scenes I ever got to be in.”
“A true legend of immense skill and grace,” Rogen tweeted about his time working with Liotta for Observe and Report in 2009.
As well as his co-stars, fans of Liotta also wrote their tributes to the actor on Twitter, with many sharing their favorite roles he’s played.
One fan wrote: “Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco will forever enter through the kitchen in ‘The Copa Shot.’ One of cinema’s touchstone moments for its technical achievement in serving as the magic doorway into Henry Hill’s exclusive world. Scorsese has the couple walk in a circle to achieve depth.”
Referring to one of Liotta’s incredible character moments, one fan wrote:
“RIP Ray Liotta, I’m still waiting to find that one special woman that I love so much I beat the shit out of her creepy neighbor with the butt of my gun and ask her to hold it for me in a gesture that would bond us romantically and signal her implicit approval of my life of crime.”
Another fan shared a memory of the time they met the actor in a coffee shop, calling him an “icon.”
“Once saw Ray Liotta at a coffee shop with Damien Chazelle, loudly hyping up Chazelle to the strangers at the other tables ‘You see this guy? You know who he is? Go watch Whiplash! Brilliant director! I’m gonna do a movie with him!’
“A stoked icon. RIP.”
And it’s not just Liotta’s movies that have stayed in people’s heads, it’s his lines too…
“Ray Liotta’s delivery of, ‘How could I go to school after that and pledge allegiance to the flag and sit through good government bullsh*t?’ has been burned into my brain for most of my life,” another fan tweeted.
“Nobody actually wanted to be a gangster. Everyone just wanted to be Ray Liotta,” another wrote.
We couldn’t agree more!
It’s easy to see why so many loved the talented actor, who shot to fame after his first role, playing Ray Sinclair in the dark comedy Something Wild back in 1986.
Liotta was nominated for a Golden Globe shortly after the movie came out for his performance as the ex-convict.
His success only boomed from then on, getting his next role in the 1988 film Dominick and Eugene.
His most recent works, however, include the critically acclaimed film Marriage Story, in which he played a lawyer for Adam Driver’s character, which came out in 2019.
Liotta also appeared in The Many Saints of Newark in 2021, which was a prequel to the crime drama series The Sopranos.
He had recently finished working on The Cocaine Bear, which came out in 2023.
He reportedly passed away in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting a movie called Dangerous Waters.
His fiancé Jacy Nittolo was also on the set of the movie when he died.
Despite his many iconic roles, his co-star in Field Of Dreams, Kevin Costner, then shared something incredible about one scene in the movie…
He tweeted: “Devastated to hear the news of Ray Liotta’s passing. While he leaves an incredible legacy, he’ll always be “Shoeless Joe Jackson” in my heart. What happened that moment in the film was real. God gave us that stunt. Now God has Ray.”
Liotta trained with USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux for his role in the movie…
And surprisingly, although he had no baseball experience, that swing was all Liotta.
Despite it being one of the most memorable moments, Liotta spoke out at the time about it not being perfect because he was right-handed and Jackson was left.
As per the New York Post, Liotta said: “To this day I regret it because I’m a bug, making sure things are accurate.”
“There used to be Monday Night Baseball and they were talking about the movie and how wonderful the movie was and some announcer who shall remain nameless said, ‘Yeah, but Shoeless Joe was batting the wrong way.’”
“Well, he didn’t come down from heaven either, so… ”
Soon after, another incredible tribute to Liotta was announced.
Sources told TMZ about a homage to Liotta during the Reds vs. Cubs game in Dyserville, Iowa.
However, big fans of Liotta can expect to see him in some upcoming posthumous projects.
He was filming the movie Dangerous Waters at the time of his death.
And that’s not all!
There are two other upcoming projects that Liotta fans can look forward to.
Liotta is set to star in Fool’s Paradise.
This is the directorial debut from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Charlie Day.
He’s also in the upcoming horror flick The Substance.
Liotta is set to star alongside Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.
People were shocked to hear of Liotta’s passing.
With many wondering how he had passed away seemingly so unexpectedly!
And now, almost a year on, Liotta’s cause of death has finally been revealed.
His heart and respiratory system gave out.
The “manner of death was categorized as natural and nonviolent.”
TMZ reports that the star died from “respiratory insufficiency, pulmonary edema — a.k.a. fluid in his lungs — and acute heart failure.”
He was also suffering from “atherosclerosis — a thickening of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining — something that often leads to diabetes and other health issues.”
Rest in peace.