Tony Sirico, best known for his role as Paulie Walnuts in the classic American television series The Sopranos, passed away on Friday at 79, according to his family and manager.

Bob McGowan, Sirico's manager of 25 years, said that Sirico passed away on Saturday in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, assisted-living facility. McGowan stated that he was unaware of the reason for his death.

McGowan remarked, "He was a really good guy," adding that Sirico "always gave to charities" and visited children's hospitals.

In a Facebook post, the actor's brother, Robert Sirico, stated, "The family is deeply grateful for the many expressions of love, prayer and condolences and requests that the public respect its privacy in this time of bereavement."

Michael Imperioli, who portrayed Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos, uploaded a photo of the two with the caption "heartbroken today" on Instagram.

"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," Imperioli wrote in his article. I shall never forget him.

In The Sopranos, which Rolling Stone ranked as the greatest television drama in 2016, Sirico portrayed mobster Tony Soprano's brutal and devoted right-hand man, fierce rivals, and doing his boss's dirty work when asked.

Sirico was a natural fit for the role, having grown up in the Italian mafia. Beginning at age 7, he was jailed 28 times; he claimed to the Los Angeles Times in 1990.

"After all the times I was pinched, I knew every judge in town," he said to the publication. "In our neighborhood, if you weren't carrying a gun, it was like you were the rabbit during rabbit-hunting season."

The Times said that during his last prison stint in the early 1970s, he was inspired by a performance by a troupe of ex-con performers.

"He was that person," McGowan remarked of Sirico's on-screen portrayal. "He grew up with that world."