On May 26, 2022, Ray Liotta passed away on location in the Dominican Republic while shooting “Dangerous Waters.”
Nearly a year later, according to TMZ, his fans now know the cause of death: fluid in his lungs that prevented his getting sufficient oxygen to his bloodstream, and heart failure.
TMZ said it had obtained documents from unnamed “officials” in the Dominican Republic that showed that “the actor’s manner of death was categorized as natural and nonviolent … citing respiratory insufficiency, pulmonary edema — aka fluid in his lungs — and acute heart failure.”
The outlet also said that the documentation showed Liotta to be suffering from atherosclerosis, which the Mayo Clinic defines as “buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances [i.e., plaque — Ed. note] in and on the artery walls.”
“Atherosclerosis symptoms usually don’t happen until an artery is so narrowed or clogged that it can’t supply enough blood to organs and tissues,” according to the Mayo Clinic. “Sometimes a blood clot completely blocks blood flow.
“The clot may break apart and can trigger a heart attack or stroke.”
The Emmy winner was 67 when he died, and left behind fiancée Jacy Nittolo and Karsen, his 23-year-old daughter.
Nittolo was with him in the Dominican Republic when he died, Page Six reported.
He was perhaps best known for his role as mobster Henry Hill in the 1990s biographical movie “Goodfellas.” He died in his sleep, Deadline reported at the time.
Onlookers who had seen Liotta in Los Angeles in March, two months prior to his death, said they noticed that he looked “noticeably pale” and “needed help from the valet putting on his jacket,” the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported.
A source told the outlet that Liotta was “slow and steady on his feet” and his 46-year-old fiancée was helping him ferry the bags from the car to the hotel.
The son of Italian immigrants, Liotta was born December 18, 1954, in New Jersey, where he had been raised by his adoptive parents, Mary and Alfred Liotta.
He studied acting at the University of Miami, where he graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
After his graduation, Liotta played in several lesser-known movies before getting a gig in director Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas.”
Liotta’s role in “Goodfellas” was a significant breakthrough in his acting career that propelled him to roles in other major films, most notably “Cop Land,” “Corrina Corrina,” “Operation Dumbo Drop,” “Unforgettable,” “Wild Hogs” and “Blow.”
He was also the voice actor behind Tommy Vincetti in Rockstar Games’ video game “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.”
Despite the tough-guy roles he portrayed on camera, Liotta told People in a November interview that he had “never been in a fight at all, except for during sports, and that’s just pushing and goofy kid stuff.”
The status of Liotta’s last film, “Dangerous Waters,” is still in question, according to Showbiz CheatSheet.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.