John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia, best known for his role on the HBO show "The Sopranos," died in New York City after a brief illness. He was 75.
Ciarcia made a movie career out of tough-guy roles, including mobster Albie Cianfione on "The Sopranos," according to
The Hollywood Reporter. He appeared in "Goodfellas" in 1990, "Hoffa" in 1992, "Death to Smoochy" in 2002 and "A Brooklyn State of Mind," in 1998.
He was friends with fellow actors Tony Danza and Danny DeVito. He served as Danza's boxing manager and was DeVito's best man at his wedding to actress Rhea Perlman in 1982.
"It's a shock, I'm dying over it," Danza told the
New York Daily News. "He saw me at Gleason's [boxing gym] and said, 'You'll put a**** in the seats.' That kicked off a 40-year mentorship and brotherhood."
Hollywood publicist Stan Rosenfield, president of Stan Rosenfield & Associates, Ltd., told the
New York Post that Ciarcia's persona was identified by New York.
"He was one of the great New York characters, and the best storyteller I ever knew," said Rosenfield. "He was why Damon Runyon wrote about New York."
THR said Ciarcia's New York City's restaurant, Cha Cha's In Bocca Al Lupo Café, was a well-known gathering place for his celebrity friends, who also included Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Danny Aiello.
Entertainment Weekly said Ciarcia was a regular guest on the satellite radio show "The Wiseguy Show," hosted by another former actor from "The Sopranos" Vincent Pastore.
Fans expressed their condolences on social media.
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