Ray Liotta, the star of the iconic mob movie "Goodfellas," passed away on Thursday, May 26, at 67 years old. He leaves behind a daughter, Karsen Liotta, 23, who is just starting her career as a movie star like her dad.
Karsen was born in 1998 while Ray was still married to Michelle Grace, a producer and actress. Though Ray and Michelle divorced in 2004, the actor remained a constant presence in his daughter's life and was always proud of her.
According to Daily Mail, Ray used to turn down movie roles at the height of his popularity because he wanted to spend more time with his daughter while she was growing up. Karsen had a very close bond with her father whom she credits for all the things she has learned about life.
Karsen was bitten by the acting bug because she used to hang around the movie set while her father worked. However, she started getting more comfortable with the camera when she landed modeling gigs at 15 years old.
Karsen Played Matchmaker to Her Dad and Jacy Nittolo
Ray constantly gushed about his daughter's accomplishments in his social media posts. In an interview several years ago, the actor said that he used to love bringing his daughter to her dance classes and other activities. He said his whole life is focused on being there for his daughter.
In one social media post, Ray also exclaimed that he does not know what life would be if not for Karsen.
"I'm so proud of her. As any parent will testify, you want your children to be happy," the actor said.
In 2020, Ray confirmed his engagement to Jacy Nittolo, a mom with four kids. It turned out that the couple dated because Karsen was their matchmaker and was in cahoots with Nittolo's son.
According to People, the kids set up their parents after years of staying single. Nittolo said that she was hesitant at first because of Ray's distinguished status as a Hollywood star. The actor, on the other hand, hesitated because he knew that Nittola's youngest was 10 years old and he didn't want to be taking care of a school-aged child in his 60s.
However, Ray got along with Nitolla's kids so well that in 2020, he asked her to be his wife and become a blended family. Unfortunately, the couple was still in the middle of their wedding plans when Liotta died.
The actor was in the Dominican Republic to work on his new movie when died in his sleep. Nittolo was on that trip with him.
Ray Liotta's Background as an Adopted Son
Ray was an orphan who grew up in a family in New Jersey. As a child, he couldn't understand why his biological parents gave him up. He was in his 40s when he met his birth mother and learned of his siblings.
In an interview with Esquire, the actor said that his birth mother didn't want to talk about his birth father. He tried to track him down by hiring private investigators.
Ray said that he didn't have any anger toward his real parents. If anything, he is grateful for having had loving adoptive parents because his life would have turned out differently if this didn't happen.
