Tony Sirico, the actor recognized for enjoying mobster Peter Paul “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on “The Sopranos,” died Friday, Selection confirmed along with his supervisor. He was 79.

Virico’s Paulie Walnuts, a bombastic and ferociously humorous foot soldier to James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano with one-liners like nobody else, was a “Sopranos” scene-stealer from the beginning. Sirico balanced Paulie’s menace along with his deadpan humor, and his penchant for malapropisms, as soon as calling Solar Tzu “Solar Tuh-Zoo,” later referring to the thinker because the “Chinese language Prince Matchabelli.” Sirico appeared on all six seasons of “The Sopranos,” after he initially auditioned for the position of Uncle Junior. Dominic Chianese in the end landed that half.

Born Gennaro Anthony Sirico Jr. on July 24, 1942 to an Italian household in New York Metropolis, Sirico spent a lot of his formative years moving into bother with the legislation, and has been related to the real-life Colombo crime household. He was arrested 28 occasions — first as a 7-year-old after he stole nickels from a newsstand — earlier than moving into appearing. He went to jail twice, as soon as after being charged for possessing an unlawful weapon, and once more for armed theft.

“I used to be very unstable,” Sirico advised the LA Occasions in 1990 about that point in his life. “I wasn’t considering proper. So I attached with these guys and hastily I’m a stick-up artist. I caught up each nightclub in New York.”

“I gotta admit I really feel humorous when any individual will spot me and ask for an autograph,” he continued. “I believe it’s that outdated guilt. Perhaps I really feel like I don’t deserve the eye.”

He made his appearing debut as an additional within the 1974 mobster drama “Loopy Joe” alongside Henry Winkler. That movie preceded Sirico’s numerous later roles as gangsters and criminals, from Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” in 1990 to Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” in 1994. Sirico appeared in a lot of Allen’s movies, together with “Café Society” in 2016 and “Mighty Aphrodite” in 1995.

In 1989, Sirico appeared within the documentary “The Massive Bang,” during which he mentioned his felony previous and the way it affected his philosophy on life. In 2013, he appeared in a couple of episodes of “Household Man” because the voice of Vinny Griffin, the household canine. His most up-to-date appearing look was on two episodes of “American Dad” as a mobster named Enzo Perotti.

Sirico’s supervisor, Bob McGowan referred to as him “a really loyal and nice consumer” who “would at all times assist individuals in want. He was member of the wounded warriors.”

In an Instagram submit, Sirico’s “Sopranos” co-star Michael Imperioli wrote, “It pains me to say that my pricey pal, colleague and companion in crime, the good TONY SIRICO has handed away right this moment. Tony was like nobody else: he was as robust, as loyal and as massive hearted as anybody i’ve ever recognized. I used to be at his aspect by a lot: by good occasions and dangerous. However largely good. And we had plenty of laughs.

He continued, “We discovered a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I’m proud to say I did plenty of my finest and most enjoyable work with my pricey pal Tony. I’ll miss him ceaselessly. He’s actually irreplaceable. I ship like to his household, associates and his many many followers. He was beloved and can by no means be forgotten. Heartbroken right this moment.”

On Fb, Sirico’s household wrote that they’re “deeply grateful for the numerous expressions of affection, prayer and condolences and requests that the general public respect its privateness on this time of bereavement.”

​In line with his household’s submit, Sirico is survived by his two kids, Joanne Sirico Bello and Richard Sirico, in addition to grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews and different kin.