'Sopranos' actor Tony Sirico dies at 79

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'Sopranos' actor Tony Sirico dies at 79 Enlarge this image toggle caption Tina Fineberg/AP Tina Fineberg/AP LOS ANGELES — Tony Sirico,

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who played the impeccably groomed mobster Paulie Walnuts in "The Sopranos" and brought his tough-guy swagger to films including "Goodfellas," died Friday.

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There was no immediate information on the cause of death.Steven Van Zandt, who played opposite Sirico as fellow mobster Silvio Dante on "The Sopranos," saluted him on Twitter as "legendary."

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"A larger than life character on and off screen.You either had to have a tattoo or a bullet hole."And I knew I had the (guts) to stand up and (bull) people," he told the Times. "

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