Jennifer Lopezis paying tribute to her late friend and costarRay Liotta.
TheGoodfellas actordied in his sleep in the Dominican Republic on Thursday, PEOPLE confirmed. He was 67.
After news of his death broke, Lopez, 52, turned to Instagram toshare a tribute post in Liotta’s honor.
The duo starred on NBC’s crime dramaShades of Bluetogether from 2016 to 2018. Lopez played Detective Harlee Santos, and Liotta portrayed her colleague and father figure, Lieutenant Matt Wozniak.
“Ray was my partner in crime onShades of Blue… the first thing that comes to mind is he so was kind to my children,” she began her post, which featured a slideshow of photos of the pair together.
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She continued, “Ray was the epitome of a tough guy who was all mushy on the inside … I guess that’s what made him such a compelling actor to watch. The original Goodfella.”
“We shared some intense moments on set those three years!” Lopez continued. “When I first heard he took the job onShades of BlueI was thrilled, and the first time we walked on set to do our first scene together there was an electric spark and a mutual respect and we both knew this was going to be good.”
“We enjoyed doing our scenes together and I felt lucky to have him there to work with and learn from,” she recalled. “Like all artists he was complicated, sincere, honest and so very emotional. Like a raw nerve, he was so accessible and so in touch in his acting and I will always remember our time together fondly.”
Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta.Kevin Mazur/Getty
He added of his career, “It’s weird how this business works, because I’ve definitely had a career that’s up and down. For some reason, I’ve been busier this year than I have in all the years that I’ve been doing this. And I still feel I’m not there yet. I just think there’s a lot more.”
The star recently appeared in theSopranosprequel movieThe Many Saints of Newarkand the Amazon Prime seriesHanna, and he was currently filming the movieDangerous Waters.
Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta on Shades of Blue.Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
In addition to Lopez, several of Liotta’s former costars paid tribute to the actor following his death on Thursday.
HisDominick and EugenecostarJamie Lee Curtismourned his death onTwitter, writing, “Ray Liotta has died. His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. A gentle man. So sad to hear.”
“I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie isGoodfellas,” she shared onTwitteralongside a photo of her and Liotta. “Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”
Ray Liotta.
“I have never felt such an easy, warm connection with another performer,” he wrote in part. “He was so generous. If I went one way he followed me. Always dancing. Always listening. Never self-generated.”
“I am extraordinarily proud of my next project,” he continued. “It was hard work and I was blessed to have a number of incredible scene partners, but I will always be most proud of my scenes with Ray; the relationship we built felt real in some strange way.”
source: people.com
