NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Paul Herman, a gangster movie fixture who appeared in "Goodfellas" and is best known for "The Sopranos," died Tuesday on his 76th birthday.
Michael Imperioli, a former "Sopranos" castmate, confirmed the Brooklyn native's death on Instagram, calling him "just a great dude."
"A first class storyteller and raconteur and one hell of an actor," said Imperioli, "Paulie lived around the corner from me the last few years and I am glad we got to spend some time together before he left us. I’ll miss him. Lots of love to his family, friends and our community of actors and filmmakers."
His cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
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Herman is best known for his role as Peter "Beansie" Gaeta, a heroin drug dealer turned pizza shop owner in the iconic HBO drama.
The beloved actor also starred in HBO's "Entourage." Star Kevin Dillon and show creator Doug Ellin also paid tribute to "Paulie" on Instagram.
"Paulie Herman, we will miss you," Dillon said. "Great man. Great actor. And too young to go."
"Sad day as we lost Paulie Herman, who played Marvin the accountant (based on my father)," Ellin said. "Paulie was generous, caring, and hilarious. And too young to be gone."
Herman also appeared in films including "The Irishman," "Silver Linings Playbook," "American Hustle," and "Once Upon a Time in America."
In a tweet, actor and fellow Brooklyn native, Tony Danza, called Herman "one of the greatest guys of all time. A great actor and a great friend. If you visited NYC from LA, he was the entertainment director. We will all miss you so much, Paulie."
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