MUMBAI: Veteran actor Tony Lip, best known for his portrayal of mob kingpin Carmine Lupertazzi in The Sopranos passed away on 4 January. The exact cause of his death is unknown. According to family members the actor‘s health had been failing in recent years.

He also portrayed real-life Bonanno crime family mobster Philip Giaccone, in Donnie Brasco, and real-life Lucchese crime family mobster Francesco Manzo, in Goodfellas.

It was at the Copacabana Nightclub where Lip first met Francis Ford Coppola and Louis DiGiamo who made his first film-debut in The Godfather but in a very small role. He also co-wrote his own book in 2005 named Shut Up And Eat!

Born Frank Anthony Vallelonga, played minor league baseball in North Carolina with the St Louis Browns organization, later served in the American Army from 1951 to 1953 in Germany.