Actor and producer Ray Liotta, famous for his starring role as Tommy Vercetti in the PS2 open-world classic Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, has died. He was 67 years old. He leaves behind a daughter and fiancée.
It Looks Like A PlayStation Classic, But Your Grappling Hook Is A Frog
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Deadline reports that Liotta died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where the 67-year-old actor was reportedly filming the upcoming movie Dangerous Waters. The outlet also reports that Liotta leaves behind a daughter named Karsen and that he was engaged to Jacy Nittolo.
Liotta, whose career exploded after his incredible performance in 1990’s Goodfellas, is probably best known to some audiences for his starring role in Rockstar’s mega-popular open-world hit, GTA: Vice City. In the game, Liotta played Tommy Vercetti, a no-nonsense tough guy with the skills and guns to back up his persona. Liotta provided Vercetti not only with a strong, powerful voice but also a sense of playfulness and charm that helped make the character one of the most popular protagonists in Grand Theft Auto franchise history.
In a 2002 interview with IGN, Liotta shared his thoughts on voicing a video game character, and how it wasn’t easy.
“No, it’s not a cakewalk,” said Liotta.
However, it’s known that Rockstar and Liotta didn’t have a perfect working relationship, with claims that Rockstar didn’t respect Liotta’s work enough and didn’t want to work with him in the future over pay disputes.
Regardless of behind-the-scenes issues, Liotta’s performance as Vercetti is iconic and helped elevate an already-great game into a bona fide classic that is still popular all these years later.
Liotta would return to games in 2013, starring as Billy Handsome in Call of Duty Black Ops 2’s zombies mode. Archival recordings of Liotta were used in the recently remastered GTA: Vice City, as well.
