Film and TV fans have dubbed 2022 the worst year for Hollywood mafia legends following the deaths of three beloved actors.
Earlier this week, news broke that The Godfather actor James Caan had passed away at the age of 82, with his family announcing on Twitter he had died on the evening of 6 July.
Though he also starred in popular titles such as Elf and Misery, one of the actor's best known roles was as Sonny in Francis Ford Coppola's '70s gangster movie, in which he played the older brother of Al Pacino's character, Michael Corleone.
Caan's role in The Godfather earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and firmly established him as an icon in gangster movies; something fans drew upon when reflecting on his life following the news of his death.
The 82-year-old passed away just weeks after fellow actor Ray Liotta died in his sleep at the age of 67 while in the Dominican Republic working on a project titled Dangerous Waters.
Liotta's association with gangster films came as he played Henry Hill in Martin Scorcese's 1990 film GoodFellas, in which he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
The character turned out to be the defining role of his career, with fans continuing to praise Liotta's performance decades later.
Caan acknowledged the loss of Liotta with a tweet at the time which read, "Not Ray," followed by a broken-heart emoji.
Just a couple of days after Caan's death, Hollywood lost another acting great in the form of Tony Sirico, who died on Friday (8 July) at 79 years old.
Sirico is best known for his performance as Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri in the popular drama series The Sopranos, which ran from 1999 to 2007, though he also appeared in a number of gangster films including Mob Queen, Mighty Aphrodite, Love and Money, and Fingers.
The actor crossed paths with Liotta as he was cast in the role of Tony Stacks in GoodFellas, and in 2021 their worlds collided again as Liotta starred in the Sopranos prequel movie, The Many Saints Of Newark.
Film and TV fans have expressed their sadness over the loss of the three highly praised actors, with one Twitter user writing: "First Ray Liotta, then James Caan, now Tony Sirico. This has been the worst year ever for mob movie legends, please no more."
Another commented: "Ray Liotta. James Caan. Now Tony Sirico? My heart can’t take much more."
The tweets come amid countless posts praising the actors for the impacts they had on the film world.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros/Paramount/HBOTopics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Twitter, Viral
