‘Sopranos’ Star Tony Sirico Dead At 79: R.I.P. Paulie Walnuts

By Mark Graham Twitter @unclegrambo
Published July 8, 2022
Updated July 8, 2022

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Tony Sirico, who rose to fame relatively late in life after being cast to portray Peter Paul “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on The Sopranos, has died at the age of 79. Sirico’s brother Robert broke the devastating news in a Facebook post.

Sirico was born in New York City in 1942, and spent his youth growing up on the mean streets of pre-gentrification Brooklyn. He fell in with the wrong crowd, and found himself on the wrong side of the law numerous times, including a 20 month stint served in Sing Sing after being convicted on extortion and felony weapons charges.

He turned his life around, though, once he was bit by the acting bug. Sirico’s IMDB profile lists 82 acting credits dating all the way back to 1977, including an early role on the Telly Savalas series Kojak where he played a role credited only as “Greek god.” He played policemen a few times, but mostly found himself playing Mob heavies in movies like Goodfellas, Fingers, and Bullets Over Broadway.

He transitioned from a recognizable “That Guy” figure into a pop culture icon, though, when David Chase cast him to play Paulie Walnuts in the groundbreaking HBO drama The Sopranos in 1998. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Corrado Soprano, aka “Uncle Junior,” but lost the role to Dominic Chianese. Chase loved his audition, though, and ultimately awarded him the role of Paulie Walnuts, a scene-stealing capo in the DiMeo crime family and trusted associate of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). The show debuted in 1999 and, as they say, the rest is history. Sirico stayed with the show throughout its entire run, picking up two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards along the way as part of the show’s wins for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Sirico’s Sopranos co-star Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti, posted the following on Instagram:

“It pains me to say that my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime, the great TONY SIRICO has passed away today. Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone i’ve ever known. I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. But mostly good. And we had a lot of laughs. We found a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I am proud to say I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear pal Tony. I will miss him forever. He is truly irreplaceable. I send love to his family, friends and his many many fans. He was beloved and will never be forgotten. Heartbroken today.”

Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini and star of Sopranos prequel The Many Saints Of Newark, posted this remembrance to his Instagram page:

Sirico brought both a sense of humor and a genuine sense of menace to The Sopranos. According to his brother’s Facebook post, “Tony is survived by his two beloved children, Joanne Sirico Bello and Richard Sirico, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews and many other relatives. ​A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated by his brother Fr. Robert Sirico at the Basilica of Regina Pacis (1230 65th Street, Brooklyn, NY) on Wednesday morning, July 13 at 10:30am.”

R.I.P. Paulie Walnuts. We hope you’re helping yourself to a giant plate of gabbagool and cannoli somewhere past the pearly gates.