Grand Theft Auto fans are paying tribute to American actor Ray Liotta following his death at the age of 67.
The Goodfellas star died in his sleep while away in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming a new movie.
His death sent shockwaves through fans of film and TV, as well as gaming communities since Liotta played a key role in making the games what everyone knows and loves.
Liotta voiced Vice City protagonist Tommy Vercetti in the Rockstar Games, well and truly making the character his own.
He took on the role a long time ago, telling Conan O’Brien back in 2003: ‘You’re just sitting there cursing at people. It’s fun to do.’
Sharing their sadness over Liotta’s shock death, GTA lovers celebrated him as ‘one of the best GTA protagonists.’
Gaming YouTuber Jon (known online as MrDalekJD) branded Liotta a ‘true legend’, tweeting: ‘RIP Ray Liotta. A true legend of cinema with some amazing performances and is forever embedded in COD Zombies for playing Billy Handsome in Mob of the Dead, and in GTA Vice City as Tommy Vercetti.’
‘Rest In Peace Ray Liotta. Thank you for voicing the main character in the first GTA game I ever played,’ tweeted fellow gaming YouTuber Speirs.
One adoring fan wrote: ‘ray liotta could do wonderful things on screen, a truly expressive actor but what needs to be praised as well is the fact that he gave so much life with just a voiceover to tommy vercetti in gta: vice city you’d be hard pressed to find a better main character.’ (sic)
‘Rest in peace Ray Liotta aka Tommy Vercetti. You made our childhood awesome sir’, another penned.
Liotta’s work as Tommy Vercetti won him a Spike Video Game Award for best performance, but GTA isn’t the only game he’ll be remembered for.
He starred opposite Burt Reynolds in the seminal open-world game, but also appeared in 2013’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II, in which he played Billy Handsome in the game’s zombies mode.
As for his other work, Liotta’s CV boasts a range of acting credits, ranging from animations like Phineas and Ferb to music videos like Ed Sheeran’s Bloodstream.
However, he is arguably most famous for his role in the critically acclaimed Goodfellas, in which he played mobster Henry Hill.
Liotta also starred in Something Wild, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, as well as Unlawful Entry and Marriage Story, most recently.
He is survived by daughter, Karsen, who he shared with his ex-wife Michelle Grace, and partner Jacy Nittolo, to whom he was engaged at the time of his death.
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