Goodfellas co-stars, Robert De Niro and other stars pay tribute to Ray Liotta

Ray Liotta in a scene from the series "Hanna". Photo / Amazon Prime Video via AP

Ray Liotta, the actor best known for playing mobster Henry Hill in "Goodfellas" and baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson in "Field of Dreams", has died. He was 67.

The Hollywood Reporter and NBC News cited representatives for Liotta who said he died in his sleep Wednesday night. He was in the Dominican Republic to film a new movie.

An official at the Dominican Republic's National Forensic Science Institute who was not authorised to speak to the media confirmed the death of Liotta and said his body was taken to the Cristo Redentor morgue.

And now friends and admirers have taken to social media to pay tribute to the star.

"I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray. I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same … Ray Liotta." — Lorraine Bracco, who played Liotta's wife in "Goodfellas", via Twitter.

I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray.
I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta. pic.twitter.com/3gNjJFTAne

— Lorraine Bracco (@Lorraine_Bracco) May 26, 2022

"I was very saddened to learn of Ray's passing. He is way too way young to have left us." — Robert De Niro, in a statement.

"I can't believe Ray Liotta has passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person. Working with him was one of the great joys of my career and we made some of my favorite scenes I ever got to be in. A true legend of immense skill and grace." — Seth Rogen, who worked with Liotta on 2009's "Observe and Report", via Twitter.

I can’t believe Ray Liotta has passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person. Working with him was one of the great joys of my career and we made some of my favorite scenes I ever got to be in. A true legend of immense skill and grace.

— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) May 26, 2022

"Ray Liotta has died. What a gentle human. His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human. A beautiful artist. We made the lovely film, Dominic and Eugene in 1986. Sad news." — Jamie Lee Curtis on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@curtisleejamie)

"Ray was my partner in crime on Shades of Blue … the first thing that comes to mind is he so was kind to my children. 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. The original Goodfella." - Jennifer Lopez

Ray was my partner in crime on Shades of Blue … the first thing that comes to mind is he so was kind to my children. 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. The original Goodfella. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/IDbOBPNydY

— jlo (@JLo) May 26, 2022

"I feel so lucky to have squared off against this legend in one of his final roles. The scenes we did together were among the all time highlights of my acting career. He was dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors. Too soon." — Actor Alessandro Nivola, star of "The Many Saints of Newark", one of Liotta's final films.

RIP Ray Liotta. I feel so lucky to have squared off against this legend in one of his final roles. The scenes we did together were among the all time highlights of my acting career. He was dangerous, unpredictable, hilarious, and generous with his praise for other actors.Too soon pic.twitter.com/FvsV2NNHkw

— Alessandro Nivola (@SandroNivola) May 26, 2022

"This is a massive, unexpected shock. I have been an admirer of Ray's work since I saw him in 'Something Wild', a movie he wrenched by the tail. I was so glad he worked on 'The Many Saints of Newark' ... Ray was also a very warm and humorous person. A really superior actor. We all felt we lucked out having him on that movie." — "Many Saints of Newark" director and "Sopranos" creator David Chase, in a statement.

"Ray Liotta. Man. Just met dude for the first time last year. GREAT actor. Nice to have had a chance to say that to him." — Actor Jeffrey Wright, via Twitter.

Ray Liotta. Man. Just met dude for the first time last year. GREAT actor. Nice to have had a chance to say that to him. RIP.

— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) May 26, 2022