Vincent Pastore, the Bronx-born actor who portrayed Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died at the age of 80. He was found dead by Steve Villano, his self-described "right-hand man," in his Bronx home on Saturday. Vincent Pastore was born in the Bronx on July 14, 1946, to a family with ties to the mob.
His father, John, was a bookmaker who had to give up that business to get married, but resumed making loans after retiring as a school custodian. Pastore grew up in an apartment above a social club in New Rochelle, New York.