Tony Sirico, Real-Life Tough Guy Before Playing Paulie Walnuts on ‘The Sopranos,’ Dies

Tony Sirico, a tough guy in real life who transitioned to acting and played the memorable Paulie Walnuts on “The Sopranos,” has died. His brother, the Rev. Robert Sirico, confirmed the death in a Facebook post.

“I was a pistol-packing guy,” the actor told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. “The first time I went away to prison, they searched me to see if I had a gun — and I had three of ‘em on me.”

After getting work as a model, he transitioned to small-time acting roles, the newspaper reported. Among his many credits were a number of mobster roles, including the character of Tony Stacks in “Goodfellas.”

He eventually landed on “The Sopranos,” which had a hugely successful 1999-2007 run on HBO. More recently he’d lent his voice to animated roles in “Family Guy” and “American Dad!,” among other projects.

This is a developing story