Vincent Pastore, the actor who played Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on HBO's The Sopranos, has died at the age of 80. He was found dead in his Bronx residence on 1 August 2026, after a neighbour had not heard from him for three days, Deadline reported. The circumstances surrounding his death were under investigation as of that date.

Born in the Bronx on 14 July 1946 to an Italian-American family, Pastore grew up in New Rochelle, New York. He served in the Vietnam War before returning to earn a drama degree from Pace University. Acting came relatively late, and his early work in the 1990s was in small film parts — Goodfellas, Carlito's Way, Men of Respect — the kind of roles that fill a résumé before they fill a marquee.

His break arrived through the HBO television movie Gotti (1996), where he appeared alongside Tony Sirico, Frank Vincent, and Dominic Chianese — all of whom would later join him on The Sopranos. The 1995 film The Jerky Boys: The Movie also raised his profile.

Then came David Chase's The Sopranos, which debuted in 1999. Pastore was cast as Big Pussy — Tony Soprano's childhood best friend, a mob enforcer who secretly becomes an FBI informant. The role was his signature, and the character's arc remains one of the series' most discussed. He appeared across the show's early seasons.

Pastore's film credits ran long: Mickey Blue Eyes, Two Family House, Riding in Cars with Boys, Deuces Wild, Shark Tale, Guy Ritchie's Revolver, and Spinning Gold, among others. On television, he was a frequent guest star on Law & Order and held major roles on One Life to Live, The Practice, Hawaii Five-0, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga. Most recently he was a series regular on Gravesend and guest-starred on Yellowjackets.

During the 2000s, Pastore became a familiar face on reality television — Celebrity Apprentice, Dancing With the Stars, Celebrity Fit Club, Shark Tank, and Celebrity Family Feud. He also hosted The Wiseguy Show on SiriusXM.

His longtime manager, Bob McGowan, said: "Vinnie was a great guy, he would help anyone and was very charitable." Pastore is survived by his daughter, Renee.

For Sopranos viewers, Big Pussy was the friend whose betrayal cut deepest — and Pastore's performance made that betrayal land. A crew of two hundred, a writers' room, and an audience of millions turned on whether Tony would find out. Pastore gave that storyline its weight.