'Sopranos' actor and Scorsese veteran Frank Vincent passes away at age 78

American actor Frank Vincent, known for his memorable gangster roles in "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos," died on Wednesday.

Television network HBO paid its regards to Vincent on its Twitter account, saying, "Our family will never forget the Leotardo Legacy. RIP to an HBO legend."

The reference made was to Phil Leotardo, the role Tony Soprano essayed as the ruthless antagonist at the end of the wildly popular series starring James Gandolfini, who was put to rest in 2013.

Celebrity news site TMZ reported Vincent, 78, died of complications following open heart surgery in New Jersey as he had suffered a heart attack a week earlier.

The actor played standout gangster roles in Martin Scorsese's 1980 film Raging Bull, Casino (1995) as well as Goodfellas (1990).

He also gave his voice to the character of a Mafia boss in several "Grand Theft Auto" computer and video games.

Films acredited to his name also include "The Pope of Greenwich Village" (1984) and Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" (1989).