Scorsese, Kevin Costner, De Niro mourn Ray Liotta's passing

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood tributes are pouring in for Ray Liotta, the distinctive 'Goodfellas' actor, who died in his sleep at the age of 67. The actor was in the Dominican Republic at the time of his death shooting for the movie 'Dangerous Waters'. Liotta went to sleep and never woke up, the actors publicist confirmed, according to 'Variety'.

'Goodfellas' director Martin Scorsese remembered the actor in a statement: "I'm absolutely shocked and devastated by the sudden, unexpected death of Ray Liotta. He was so uniquely gifted, so adventurous, so courageous as an actor."

Scorsese noted: "Playing Henry Hill in 'Goodfellas' was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot. He absolutely amazed me, and I'll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture. My heart goes out to his loved ones, and it aches for his loss, way too early."

Liotta's 'Field of Dreams' co-star Kevin Costner tweeted: "Devastated to hear the news of Ray Liotta's passing. While he leaves an incredible legacy, he'll always be 'Shoeless Joe Jackson' in my heart. What happened at that moment in the film was real. God gave us that stunt. Now God has Ray."

His 'Goodfellas' co-star Robert De Niro shared a statement, writing: "I was very saddened to learn of Ray's passing. He is way too young to have left us. May he Rest in Peace."

Another of Liotta's 'Goodfellas' co-stars, Lorraine Bracco, wrote on Twitter: "I can be anywhere in the world and people will come up and tell me their favourite movie is 'Goodfellas'. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same ... Ray Liotta."