'Sopranos' Actor Tony Sirico, 'Paulie Walnuts,' Dies At 79

Tony Sirico, who played the well-groomed mobster Paulie Walnuts in "The Sopranos" and brought his tough-guy swagger to films, died Friday. He passed away at the age of 78.

Bob McGowen said that he died at an assisted living facility. The cause of death was not immediately known.

The death of Gennaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico was confirmed by a statement from his family.

He wasloyal and giving and had a strong philanthropic streak. His manager said that helping ex- soldiers' causes hit home for him.

Steven Van Zandt, who played a mobster on "The Sopranos", called him alegendary.

A large character on and off screen. The actor and musician said they were going to miss him.

"The Sopranos" star Michael Imperioli said he was his "dear friend, colleague and partner in crime"

Imperioli said that Tony was as tough as anyone he had ever known.

In the 1999-2007 run of The Sopranos, Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri was cast in a number of bad guy roles, but he was not concerned about being cast in a series of bad guy roles. At the age of 51, Gandolfini passed away.

He didn't mind playing a mob man, but he wouldn't be an Informant.

Every guy was trying to prove himself when he was a kid in the Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighborhoods. Either you had a tattoo or a bullet hole.

He told the LA Times in 1990 that he was unstable during that time. He said that he was in prison twice. He got into acting after seeing a performance by a group of ex-convicts in prison.

I thought I could do that after watching them. I knew I looked good. He told the Times that he knew he had the guts to fight. There's a lot of practice in prison. I used to make them laugh by standing in front of them.

In the movies "Deconstructing Harry" and "Dead Presidents", he played police officers. His other credits include Woody Allen films such as "Bullets over Broadway" and "Mighty Aphrodite" and appearances on TV series such as "Miami Vice" and "American Dad".

He is survived by his family, including his daughter, son, brother, and a priest.