Vinny Vella Dies: ‘Casino’ & ‘The Sopranos’ Actor Was 72

Vinny Vella, known for his roles in the 1995 film Casino and HBO’s The Sopranos, among others, has died. His family shared the news on Vella’s Facebook page. Vella died Wednesday from liver cancer. He was 72.

“We are saddened to report that Vinny Vella has passed and I’m sure that no one more saddened than himself,” the Facebook statement read. “Vinny loved life from his family to his friends and fans he was easily one of the funniest, endearing actors to have ever graced the screen. Vinny also had integrity and pride rarely seen.”

The statement continued, “Arguably the fastest on the draw, king of the comebacks. His verbal jousting was legendary but many know Vinny for his favorite saying – ‘Who’s better than you?’ Well Vinny, I think we all can agree on the answer to that, it was you, it always was you! We miss you my boy!”

Vella is known for his portrayal of Artie Piscano alongside Robert De Niro in Casino and for the 2002 film Analyze That. He’s also known for his role as Jimmy Petrille in HBO’s The Sopranos, in which he starred form 1999 to 2004. Vella was also the subject of a 67-minute 2000 documentary called Hey, Vinny by director John Huba, and he once hosted a public-access television cable TV show on New York City’s MNN, The Vinny Vella Show. His other credits include Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and Find Me Guilty.