James Caan’s Heartbreaking Tweet About Ray Liotta After His Death

James Caan's emotional tweet about fellow actor Ray Liotta has resurfaced after the Elf star passed away this week.

News of Caan's death was shared on Twitter on 7 July, when his family announced the 82-year-old actor had passed away the evening prior and expressed thanks for 'the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences'.

His death came just weeks after the passing of Liotta, leaving fans mourning the loss of two icons of gangster movies. Caan had received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Sonny in The Godfather, while Liotta played a starring role as Henry Hill in the 1990 film Goodfellas.

As Twitter users reflected on Caan's life, fans came across the tweet he posted in the wake of Liotta's death on 26 May. The actor died in his sleep at the age of 67 while filming a movie in the Dominican Republic.

After the news broke, Caan tweeted, "Not Ray", along with a broken-heart emoji.

The tweet received thousands of likes and retweets, and following Caan's death fans have now shared the post and altered it to reflect his own passing, writing: "Not James".

Another person shared the post and wrote, "This is sad," while a third commented: "two months apart, RIP James."

Lorraine Bracco, who played Hill's wife Karen in Goodfellas, joined Caan in paying tribute to Liotta at the time of his death, as she wrote that she was 'utterly shattered to hear this terrible news'.

"I can be anywhere in the world and people will come up and tell me their favourite movie is Goodfellas," Bracco continued, adding: "Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta."

Caan's death proceeded that of another gangster movie-great, Tony Sirico, who passed away yesterday (8 July) at the age of 79. Sirico was best known for playing mobster Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri on The Sopranos and was described by his manager as someone who would 'do anything to help people in need', CBS News reports.

Meanwhile, tributes continue to flood in for Caan, whose cause of death has not been publicly confirmed. Francis Ford Coppola, the director of The Godfather, described the actor as 'someone who stretched through [his] life longer and closer than any motion picture figure [he's] ever known'.

"From those earlier times working together on [1969 film] The Rain People and throughout all the milestones of my life, his films and the many great roles he played will never be forgotten," he continued in a statement to the PA news agency. "He will always be my old friend from [New York neighbourhood] Sunnyside, my collaborator and one of the funniest people I've ever known."

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677