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A lot has been said about the life and work of actor Ray Liotta, since he passed away about three weeks ago. A lot of his former colleagues have lined up to pay tribute to his work ethic on set and his infectious personality off it.
Liotta has only one daughter named Karsen, and after about two weeks of silence in public, she finally added to the eulogies being bestowed on her late father. In a post on her Instagram profile, Karsen wrote: 'Those who knew him, loved him. You are the best Dad anyone could ask for. I love you. Thank you for everything.'
Liotta's portfolio speaks for itself, with many incredible performances in some of the best movies of his generation. As he neared his 70th birthday, he was showing no signs of slowing down, as he was still working on at around five movies and TV shows when he died.
A clip that surfaced online recently purporting to be the final one of his career offers a unique perspective into this relentless personality that Liotta had, while also giving a poignant message about the value of life.
What Life Advice Did Ray Liotta Give Before His Death?
One of the common themes in any tributes towards Ray Liotta from those who knew him is the fact that he had a very infectious laugh.
In fact, one of the most iconic scenes of his career was in the Martin Scorsese classic Goodfellas, where his character is laughing hysterically to jokes being told by Tommy DeVito, played by Joe Pesci.
The clip of that recent Liotta interview also starts with him laughing, albeit not as vehemently as in Goodfellas. An unidentified interviewer then asks him what his favorite part about growing older is.
The actor thought about it for a while, and then said: "Just the experience. I would never want to be in my 20s or 30s again... Just what you're going through, and trying to figure out what it is that you wanna do. And if you did something that you wanna do, why isn't it happening?"
Perhaps the most moving bit of advice from that interview was when Liotta spoke about the paradox of 'knowing less' as you grow older and learn more about life.
Ray Liotta Encouraged People To 'Do Everything With Love'
"It really is true, the older you get, the less you know," Ray Liotta continued to observe. "And it's a cliché, but it's really true. There's just so much out there. There's so many options and opportunities and ways of thinking... or not thinking. It's just really interesting."
He also encouraged the audience to do everything they did with love. "You just hope all of it is done with love, and meeting the right person," he added.
In his professional life, it could be said that Liotta did meet the right people on many occasions, leading to most of the fruitful partnerships he forged over the years.
Robert De Niro, for instance, recently confirmed that he advocated on Liotta's behalf, in order for the actor to be cast as Henry Hill in Goodfellas. Director Martin Scorsese obliged, and it turned out to be a masterstroke decision for all involved.
Scorsese has been effusive in praise of Liotta following his death, although for a mysterious reason, they never worked together again after Goodfellas.
Ray Liotta Is Survived By His Daughter And His Fiancée
The person closest to Ray Liotta was his daughter Karsen, born in December 1998 to the actor and his ex-wife, Michelle Grace. She has followed in her father's footsteps professionally, with a budding acting career that has seen her feature in up to ten movies and TV shows.
According to IMDb, Karsen Liotta's first ever acting gig was in her father's A Rumor of Angels, when she was still practically a baby. She had an extended guest role in the NBC cop drama series, Shades of Blue, which also starred her dad alongside Jennifer Lopez.
Karsen and Ray Liotta collaborated for the final time in her last screen appearance so far, when she played a teenager called Barb in his 2020 mystery comedy film, Hubie Halloween, which also contained a cast of Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Julie Bowen and Steve Buscemi, among others.
Also left behind by Liotta is his fiancée Jacy Nittolo, who he met a few years back and was planning to get married to. Nittolo was with the actor when he passed away in the Dominican Republic, and she also paid a heartfelt tribute to him on Instagram afterwards.