Paul Sorvino, 'Goodfellas' actor, dead at 83

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Paul Sorvino, known for his role in "Goodfellas," has died at 83, Fox News Digital can confirm.

The actor died Monday morning with his wife Dee Dee Sorvino by his side.

"Our hearts are broken, there will never be another Paul Sorvino, he was the love of my life, and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage," she said in a statement.

"I am completely devastated," Dee Dee wrote separately on Twitter. "The love of my life & the most wonderful man who has ever lived is gone . I am heartbroken."

Paul Sorvino has died from natural causes, according to his representative. (Getty Images)

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The "Law & Order" actor died of natural causes, according to his representative Roger Neal. Sorvino had dealt with health issues in the last years of his life.

In his over 50 years in the entertainment business, Sorvino was a mainstay in films and television, playing an Italian American communist in Warren Beatty’s "Reds," Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone’s "Nixon" and mob boss Eddie Valentine in "The Rocketeer." 

He would often say that while he might be best known for playing gangsters, his real passions were poetry, painting and opera.

Sorvino is most known for his role in "Goodfellas." (Getty Images)

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Sorvino began his career in advertising but entered the Hollywood scene after attending the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He first appeared on Broadway, making his debut in 1964.

He later transitioned into films and television and is most known for his roles in "Goodfellas" and "Law and Order."

In the 1970s, he acted alongside Al Pacino in "The Panic in Needle Park" and with James Caan in "The Gambler," reteamed with Reiner in "Oh, God!" and was among the ensemble in William Friedkin’s bank robbery comedy "The Brink’s Job."

He was especially prolific in the 1990s, kicking off the decade playing Lips in Beatty’s "Dick Tracy" and Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s "Goodfellas," who was based on the real-life mobster Paul Vario, and 31 episodes on Dick Wolf’s "Law & Order." He followed those with roles in "The Rocketeer," "The Firm," "Nixon," which got him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and Baz Luhrmann’s "Romeo + Juliet" as Juliet’s father, Fulgencio Capulet.

His "tough guy" image followed him throughout his career.

"Most people think I’m either a gangster or a cop or something," he said.. "The reality is I’m a sculptor, a painter, a best-selling author, many, many things — a poet, an opera singer, but none of them is gangster.... It would be nice to have my legacy more than that of just tough guy."

Dee Dee and Sorvino married in 2014 after a chance meeting during a Fox News Channel show. 

"She was sent to me by God. She was the love of my life. When I met her there was an aura of light around her head. I felt that was my mother telling me she is the one," he has said about his wife.

Sorvino married his wife Dee Dee in 2014. (Getty Images)

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 Sorvino is survived by his wife Dee Dee; his three adult children, Mira, Amanda and Michael, and five grandchildren.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.