Months after his shocking death at age 67, Ray Liotta‘s cause of death was made public.
The Goodfellas legend passed away while filming in the Dominican Republic.
His cause of death was now classified as abrupt heart failure and pulmonary edema, according to paperwork from the nation’s officials that TMZ was able to get.
The star’s arteries have narrowed due to atherosclerosis, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke by making it difficult for blood to flow through them, according to the physicians.
Liotta, who was shooting the film Dangerous Waters, was reported as dying in his sleep.
He was best known for his leading role in Martin Scorsese’s crime film but also starred in Something Wild – for which he scored his first Golden Globe nomination – Unforgettable, Cop Land and Field of Dreams.
He also portrayed singer Frank Sinatra in the 1998 TV movie The Rat Pack, for which he received a Screen Actors Guild award nomination.
More recently, Liotta featured in the Oscar-nominated film Marriage Story, alongside Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson, as well as The Many Saints Of Newark and No Sudden Move.
A popular performer, many celebrities, including his Goodfellas director Scorsese and co-star Lorraine Bracco, shared emotional tributes to the star following his death.
‘I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray,’ Bracco tweeted.
‘I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favourite movie is Goodfellas.
‘Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.’
The producers of Dangerous Waters also issued a statement expressing their shock and sadness over the news.
‘We were deeply saddened to learn of Ray’s passing, it’s a tremendous loss and our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, fiancée Jacy and daughter Karsen,’ it read.
In February, Liotta was honoured posthumously with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which his daughter, Karsen Liotta, accepted on his behalf.
Just before his death, one of his final projects was headline-grabbing horror comedy Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks, who also attended the ceremony in support, alongside Taron Egerton, who spoke passionately about his Black Bird co-star.
In Cocaine Bear, Liotta had a scene-stealing role as a drug kingpin, alongside O’Shea Jackson Jr, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Keri Russell and Alden Ehrenreich.
Discussing his time on set in a new interview, the filmmaker recalled that he had the ‘best attitude’ and really enjoyed jumping into the role.
‘He came to Ireland with the best attitude. He had a great time,’ she told Variety.
‘He came for ADR and saw the film, and was like, “Oh, my God, the bear looks so good!’”
The film’s writer, Jimmy Warden, was also full of praise for the star and his ‘contagious energy’.
‘Since he’s passed away, those are the memories that keep flooding back. It was so fun working with him, and such a dream of mine. Definitely a career highlight for sure,’ he told Metro.co.uk.
‘Just the energy that he brought to the set and how it made waves throughout the crew and everybody was just so excited.
‘Like, if Ray Liotta is pumped about this movie, everybody should be too and it was just contagious. That was a great experience with him.’