Ray Liotta was an actor of exceptional talent with a diverse range of roles from the scary mobster turned FBI informant on Goodfellas to the naturally talented slugger Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams.
When he died in 2022, he left behind a legacy of memorable performances with some of the greatest movies ever made.
His greatest legacy, however, is his daughter, Karsen Liotta, who finally broke her silence after her dad unexpectedly died.
While filming the movie Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic, Ray Liotta, who was best known for playing Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, died on May 26, 2022, in his sleep, lying next to his fiancée Jacy Nittolo.
According to the autopsy report–released in May 2023–the 67-year-old man died of natural causes, related to cardiovascular disease. The report also shows that the actor suffered from respiratory insufficiency, pulmonary edema, fluid in his lungs, and acute heart failure.
In addition, he also had atherosclerosis, which is described by the Mayo Clinic as “the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls…The plaque can cause arteries to narrow, blocking blood flow.”
Liotta’s storied career spanned 44 years and crossed multiple genres, including comedies Something Wild (1986) and Corrina, Corrina (1994), to crime dramas Cop Land (1997) to Many Saints of Newark (2021) to the horror-comedy Cocaine Bear (2023).
Liotta’s last Instagram post was two weeks before he died, to announce the upcoming release of Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks, in February 2023.
He wrote, “Cocaine Bear follows an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of the white powder and goes on a coke-fueled rampage seeking more blow–and blood.”
Though the Emmy-Award winning Liotta wasn’t there for the premiere, on the same month of its release, the actor’s career was immortalized with a posthumous star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Liotta’s death shocked everyone, but mostly his daughter Karsen, and the woman he called “the love of my life.”
On May 26, 2023, Nitolla–the last person who saw the Rat Pack star alive–made a heartfelt post to Liotta on her Instagram, pairing it with a beautiful photo of the two. She writes, “A year ago today I was on a flight home from the Dominican Republic by myself in shock. My entire world unexpectedly turned upside down.” She continued, “It’s been a heavy year of pain, heartache, healing, growing and accepting what is. Learning to smile at what was. It supposedly gets easier with time. No time will change a loss so great. You just learn to live with it and keep going, trusting that all will be ok.”
It was his daughter, model and actor Karsen, who brought Liotta and Nitollo together.
Liotta shared the story on Live with Kelly and Ryan in September 2021, first joking about how he discovered filters on his phone to perfect photos of him and Nittolo.
“I’ll tell you why the pictures look so good,” Liotta started. “There’s that app, for the face…where you can change the way your face looks. The best.”
Liotta then revealed that Karsen, then 22, was with Nittolo’s son at a party, when she approached her friend’s mom, suggesting she go on a date with her movie-star dad. He said Nitolla wanted “nothing to do with an actor whatsoever,” and after learning his name, she responded, “‘Wait a second though, isn’t he, like, in his 60s? I’m in my 40s.’”
But it was a perfect match and the two became engaged on December 28, 2020.
Liotta announced their engagement with an Instagram post that was captioned, “Christmas wishes do come true. I asked the love of my life to marry me, and thank God she said yes!!!”
Karsen, is Liotta’s only child, whom he shared with his ex-wife, Michelle Grace (1997 to 2004). The young woman has been relatively quiet since her dad died but occasionally honors his memory with occasion throwback photos on her Instagram.
In an adorable photo of him holding her, as a young child, Karsen writes, “Those who knew him, loved him. You are the best Dad anyone could ask for. I love you. Thank you for everything.”
Karsen Liotta
Fans poured in with thoughts of love and memories. One writes, “Sorry for the loss of Ray. He was such a good actor and from all I ever read about him such a good guy, I will miss him.” Another, recalling a memory with the relatable actor, writes, “Many years ago I sat next to him on an airplane to New York, we had chat for a while and he even listened to songs of mine that I had recently created. He was a really kind stranger to me on that flight. I never did tell him that I knew who he was but I had so much respect for him. So sorry you lost your pops.”
Karsen’s first ever Instagram post was in 2013, a throwback picture of a freckle-faced little girl, wearing a bee headband–a nod to Liotta’s appearance in the 2007 film Bee Movie–with her dad’s head rested on the top of hers.
The post, written when she was about 10, says, “Happy birthday Dad, you’re the best & I love you!”
Although details regarding Karsen Liotta’s early life remain limited, it is evident that she inherited her parents’ passion for the film and television industry. Karsen, born on 21 December 1998, has followed in her father’s footsteps and made the decision to pursue an acting career.
She made her screen debut at an incredibly young age in 2000, before even reaching her second birthday, when she appeared in her her father’s biographical war film A Rumor of Angels. In 2016 and 2017, she starred in two short films and one month following the passing of Ray Liotta, his daughter made a poignant appearance at the premiere of his Apple TV+ series, Black Bird.
Karsen starred in one of the episodes of Black Bird. However, as of 2023, she has not made a return to the screen. Nevertheless, fans eagerly await her future endeavors and anticipate her potential comeback to the acting world.
Ray Liotta was such a great actor and his performances will be remembered forever. Before he died, he filmed three movies, Dangerous Waters, Clash and The Substance, which should be released soon.
What are your favorite Liotta films? Do you prefer him as the tough guy or in comedies?
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