‘Sopranos’ stars who have died
Richard Romanus' passing is the latest in a long line of notable Sopranos deaths
“The Sopranos,” which ended its popular run in 2007, had a large cast over its six seasons and it was hard to keep track of many of the different mobsters who ran (and met their ends) in New Jersey.
Still, many of its characters became as familiar as viewers’ own friends and family and each of their real-life deaths are met with great sadness.
Here’s a look at some of the “The Sopranos” actors we’ve lost over the years.
James Gandolfini — Tony Soprano
Almost a decade later, this one is still hard to believe.
Gandolfini died June 19, 2013 from a heart attack while visiting Rome. He was only 51. His tragic and sudden death robbed us from what surely would’ve been Gandolfini’s next great act after turning in one of the most iconic performances in television history.
Nancy Marchand — Livia Soprano
Frank Vincent — Phil Leotardo
Vincent died in 2017 at the age of 80. He was a famous Italian-American actor known for his turns in Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas” and “Casino.” One of his last great roles was in “The Sopranos” as he played a New York boss hell-bent on taking down the Soprano crew in New Jersey. (The less said about how that turned out, the better.)
John Costelloe — Jim "Johnny Cakes" Witowski
Joseph Siravo — "Johnny Boy" Soprano
Joseph Siravo, the actor who played Tony Soprano’s father “Johnny Boy” Soprano during flashbacks on the show, died in 2021 at age 66 after a battle with colon cancer. Siravo was also known for appearances in “Carlito’s Way” and “The People Vs. OJ Simpson” (he played Fred Goldman). He also played gangster Gyp DeCarlo in over 2,000 performances of the musical “Jersey Boys.”
Tony Lip — Carmine Lupertazzi Sr.
Lip died January 4, 2013 at age 80. He portrayed the head of New York’s Lupertazzi crime family and was succeeded by Johnny Sack upon his death on the show.
Robert Loggia — Feech La Manna
The great actor had a memorable four-episode as Feech LaManna, a recently-released mobster who struggles at his attempts to return to a life of crime. Loggia died in December 2015 at the age of 85.
David Margulies — Neil Mink
Sopranos fans will remember his role as Tony’s lawyer while others remember more as the mayor in “Ghostbusters.” Margulies died January 11, 2016 at the age of 78.
Denise Borino-Quinn — Ginny Sack
John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia — Albie Cianfalone
Ciarcia played the consigliere to Frank Vincent’s Phil Leotardo and meets with Tony in the final episode. Ciarcia died November 21, 2015 at the age of 75.
Paul Mazursky — Sunshine
Mazursky was a famous Hollywood screenwriter who was nominated for five Academy Awards. He had a memorable cameo in “The Sopranos” as “Sunshine,” a card dealer who is killed when Jackie Aprile Jr. holds up the game.
Mazursky died June 30, 2014 at the age of 84.
John Heard – Vin Makazian
Heard, who died of a heart attack on July 21, 2017 at the age of 71, had a number of memorable roles during his career, including as the Kevin McCallister’s dad in “Home Alone.”
In “The Sopranos,” Heard played a corrupt police detective who served as a source for Tony Soprano and also investigated Dr. Jennifer Melfi on Tony’s behalf. His character’s arc met his end when he lept off a bridge. Heard was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1999 for his role.
Chuck Low — Shlomo Teittleman
Low will forever best be known as Morrie, the wig salesman from “Goodfellas.” But he did appear on “The Sopranos” for one episode, playing a Hasidic Jew who unadvisedly goes into business with Silvio Dante.
Low died September 18, 2017 at the age of 89.
Greg Antonacci —Butch DeConcini
Antonacci played Butch DeConcini, the right-hand man to Frank Vincent’s Phil Leotardo. He also played Johnny Torrio in every season of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.”
Antonacci died on September 20, 2017 at age 70, exactly one week after the death of Vincent.
Tom Aldredge — Hugh DeAngelis
Aldredge was a longtime stage actor who played many notable roles on Broadway. On “The Sopranos,” he played Hugh DeAngelis, the father of Carmela Soprano.
Aldredge died July 22, 2011 at the age of 83.
Ed Vassallo — Tom Giglione
Frank Pellegrino — Frank Cubitoso
Pellegrino was a famous New York restauranteur who ran the exclusive Rao’s. He parlayed that job into several acting roles including playing Cubitoso, the FBI chief in New Jersey. Pellegrino died January 31, 2017 at the age of 72.
Joe Pucillo — Beppy Scerbo
Joe Santos — Angelo Garepe
Frances Esemplare — Nucci Gualtieri
Frank Sinatra Jr. — Himself
Sinatra Jr. played himself as a poker game participant in one episode of “The Sopranos.” He died in 2016 at the age of 72.
Lauren Bacall — Herself
The legendary actress made an unlikely cameo on “The Sopranos,” being robbed of a luxury gift bag (and punched in the face) by Christopher Moltisanti after an awards show.
Bacall died in 2014 at the age of 89.
Brian Tarantina — Mustang Sally
Vinny Vella — Jimmy Petrile
Vella appeared in more than 40 films playing a gangster and was best known for the role of Artie Piscano in Martin Scorsese’s “Casino.” He also played Jimmy Petrile in “The Sopranos,” the consigliere to Johnny Sack who began cooperating with the FBI.
Vella died February 20, 2019 at the age of 72.
Polly Bergen — Fran Felstein
Peter Bogdanovich — Dr. Elliot Kupferberg
While Bogdanovich made his star with such films as “The Last Picture Show” and “Paper Moon,” younger generations know him from his work on the television series “The Sopranos.”
In addition to directing one episode (“Sentimental Education”), Bogdanovich appeared in 15 episodes as Dr. Elliot Kupferberg — the judgmental therapist of Lorraine Bracco’s Dr. Jennifer Melfi.
Bogdanovich died Jan. 6, 2022, at the age of 82.
Ned Eisenberg — Ariel
Eisenberg made a guest-star appearance on the show back in Season 1 as Ariel, a conniving hotel manager who tried to work over his father-in-law for a more significant stake in his hotel business.
The actor would go on to have steady success as Roger Kressler in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Eisenberg passed away on Feb. 27, 2022, at 65.
Paul Herman — Beansie
One of Tony Soprano’s associates, Beansie Gaeta appeared in five episodes of the HBO show from 2000 to 2007. The Aprile crew member lived to tell the tell, too.
Herman gained wider recognition through the years in major films such as “The Irishman,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle,” and “Goodfellas.”
He passed away on March 29, 2022, at age 76.
Bruce MacVittie — Danny Scalercio
MacVittie played juror Danny Scalercio during Junior Soprano’s trial in Season 4 of the show. Scalercio would be the one responsible for Uncle Junior’s acquittal. The recurring role added to MacVittie’s long acting career, which flourished in theatre and television and film.
He passed away on May 7, 2022. MacVittie was 65.
Tony Siragusa — Frankie Cortese
Longtime NFL player and analyst Tony Siragusa—”The Goose”—played Tony Soprano’s bodyguard and driver, Frankie Cortese, in 2004. He appeared in four episodes.
Siragusa passed away on June 22, 2022. He was 55.
Tony Sirico — Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri
Sirico’s character rose from soldier to underboss to eventual captain of the DiMeo crime family, all while blossoming into one of the most iconic on “The Sopranos.” His persona even carried into adverting, where his no-nonsense, borderline psychotic character was depicted—although not directly named—in a series of Denny’s commercials.
Sirico passed away on July 8, 2022. He was 79.
Robert LuPone — Dr. Bruce “Cooze” Cusamano
LuPone played Tony Soprano’s doctor and appeared in several episodes, with his most notable claims to fame being Tony’s neighbor and his referral of Dr. Jennifer Melfi—portrayed by Lorraine Bracco—to the crime boss.
LuPone, who was also a Tony nominee for Broadway’s “A Chorus Line,” passed away on August 27, 2022. He was 76.
Suzanne Shepherd — Mary DeAngelis
Sheppard played Mary DeAngelis, the mother of Carmela Soprano and the mother-in-law to Tony Soprano.
She passed away on November 17, 2023. Sheppard was 89.
Richard Romanus — Richard LaPenna
The actor (pictured left) played Dr. Jennifer Melfi’s husband, Richard LaPenna, in four episodes. He passed away on December 31, 2023, at 80
