‘The Sopranos’ Star Frank Vincent, Best Known For Mob Roles in TV and Film, Is Dead at 78

Frank Vincent, the actor perhaps best known as mob boss Phil Leotardo on “The Sopranos,” has died following complications from heart surgery. He was 78.

TMZ first posted the news, reporting that Vincent suffered a heart attack last week, and died while undergoing open-heart surgery in New Jersey on Wednesday.

According to IMDB, Vincent was attached to several projects in pre-production, including the features “Asbury Park” and “Sarah Q.” He recently voiced a character on the Adult Swim series “Mr. Pickles,” and also appeared in an episode of “Law & Order: SVU.”

Other TV credits include “NYPD Blue” and “New York Undercover,” while on film he was seen in Martin Scorsese films such as “Raging Bull,” Billy Batts (“Go home and get your f–king shine box!”) in “Goodfellas,” and Frank Marino in “Casino.” He was also a regular in Spike Lee films like “Do The Right Thing” and “Jungle Fever.”

But it was his 31 episodes of “The Sopranos,” including the famed series finale (in which — spoiler alert — his character, one of Tony Soprano’s mob rivals, is finally whacked) that Vincent is probably best remembered for.

“He was my mentor, my inspiration,” his “Sopranos” co-star Vincent Pastore wrote on social media. “A great legacy.”