Longtime character actor Tony Sirico has passed away at the age of 79 and his friends from The Sopranos are saying their farewells. Born in New York in 1942, the young Sirico frequently found himself in trouble with the law as a young man. He turned his attention to show business after an acting troupe visited him in jail. The news came via Sirico’s brother Fr. Robert Sirico, who wrote the following on Facebook:

Sirico’s first onscreen appearance came as an extra in 1974’s Crazy Joe. Over the following decade, he frequently worked with Woody Allen, appearing in several of his films. Such as Wonder Wheel, Cafe Society, Deconstructing Harry, Everyone Says I Love You, Mighty Aphrodite, and Bullets Over Broadway. Sirico also found steady work specializing in Mafia roles. In 1990, alongside several Italian-American actors of his generation, he appeared in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. His role as Tony Stacks was his highest-profile role to date, but it would not be the role Sirico would be most remembered for.

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He’s best known for his work on The Sopranos, the HBO mob show that left a huge impact on television history. Originally auditioning for Tony Soprano’s Uncle Junior, which ended up going to Dominic Chianese, Sirico was instead cast as Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri. Sirico’s best-known role, the character quickly became a fan favorite. Even playing a central part in “Pine Barrens” alongside co-star Michael Imperioli, which is considered one of the best episodes of the series.

Imperioli wrote on Instagram:

Per Deadline, others from The Sopranos are also paying tribute. Series creator David Chase offered this statement:

Silvio Dante actor Steven Van Zandt, who also co-starred with Sirico in Lillyhammer, called Sirico “legendary” and added:

Jamie Lynn Sigler (Meadow Soprano) said of the late actor:

A tribute from Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri) reads:

Lorraine Bracco who played Tony’s psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi and had also appeared with Sirico in Goodfellas, had this to say about her friend.

After his work on The Sopranos ended, Sirico worked on other TV shows, such as Lilyhammer and Family Guy. On the latter, he voiced Vinny, who became the Griffin family dog after Brian temporarily died. He is survived by his two children, Joanne Sirico and Richard, and multiple “grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews and many other relatives,” according to his brother.