Actor Tony Sirico — best know for his role as Paulie Walnuts on “The Sopranos” — is dead, his brother, Robert, announced on Facebook on Friday. He was 79.
“It is with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories, that the family of Gennaro Anthony “Tony” Sirico wishes to inform you of his death on the morning of July 8, 2022,” the priest wrote along with a picture of Sirico.
“Tony is survived by his two beloved children, Joanne Sirico Bello and Richard Sirico, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews and many other relatives.
“The family is deeply grateful for the many expressions of love, prayer and condolences and requests that the public respect its privacy in this time of bereavement. Memorial donations may be made in his honor to Wounded Warriors, St. Jude’s Hospital and the Acton Institute.”
His co-star, Michael Imperioli, also posted a remembrance on Instagram, saying in part: “Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone i’ve ever known.”
The Post has reached out to Sirico’s representatives for confirmation.
When he was 55, Sirico was sleeping on a cot in his mother’s living room in Brooklyn when he was cast as Walnuts. He originally audited for the role of Uncle Junior — who would be played by Dominic Chianese.
The hit HBO crime drama ran from 1999 to 2007. He won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for the role: one in 2000 and another in 2008.
Sirico played gangsters in over a dozen movies, including “Goodfellas,” “Mob Queen,” “Mighty Aphrodite,” and “Gotti.”
This is a developing story.
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