New documents obtained by TMZ finally reveal Ray Liotta‘s cause of death, almost one year after the Goodfellas star died in his sleep while filming in the Dominican Republic in May 2022.
The documents cite his cause of death as “natural and nonviolent,” TMZ reports.
Officials in the Dominican Republic found that Liotta’s death was caused by respiratory issues, acute heart failure and pulmonary edema, a condition caused by fluid in the lungs.
The documents also state that Liotta had atherosclerosis, a condition that can lead to diabetes and other health issues.
Liotta was filming the thriller Dangerous Waters when he died at the age of 67. Directed by John Barr, the film also stars Eric Dane, Saffron Burrows and Odeya Rush. While IMDd notes that the movie is in post-production, the state of the film – and Liotta’s role in it – is currently unknown.
By the time of his death, Liotta was a prolific actor with roles across film and television. In the year just before his death, the Goodfellas star got to return to his mafia roots in the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark.
He posthumously appeared in Cocaine Bear, which became a surprise box office hit. He is still credited in two more upcoming films: April 29, 1992, which is about the L.A. riots, and Fool’s Paradise, the R-rated comedy from Charlie Day.
Liotta was posthumously honored this past February with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Taron Egerton, Martin Scorsese and Elizabeth Banks all spoke at the ceremony.
“It’s still shocking to me to this day that this movie’s going to come out and he’s not going to be able to celebrate with us, but his spirit is in the movie. He came really joyfully to do this, I don’t know, dumb movie about a bear high on cocaine,” Banks said at the time.
She added, “I mean, it kills me, but he’ll be remembered for lots and lots of things — and he’ll be remembered in our hearts for just being a great guy on set.”
