Suzanne Shepherd, Veteran Actress Known for Goodfellas and Sopranos, Passes Away at 89

Suzanne Shepherd, veteran actress known for playing the mother of Edie Falcos Carmela Soprano on "The Sopranos," has died.

She was 89.

A spokesperson for Shepherd announced to CNN that the actress passed away at her residence in New York City on Friday. The cause of her death is yet to be determined, although her representative revealed that Shepherd had been struggling with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Throughout her extensive career spanning over a decade, Shepherd portrayed a range of memorable characters in both film and television, notably in works like "The Sopranos," "Goodfellas," "Requiem for a Dream," and "Mystic Pizza."

In 1988, she made her official debut in Hollywood with the role of Aunt Tweedy in "Mystic Pizza," alongside Julia Roberts and Vincent Donofrio. This paved the way for her appearances in other noteworthy films like "Working Girl" and "Uncle Buck" during the late 1980s.

However, it was in 1990 when she truly made a name for herself with her breakout role as the mother of Karen Hill (played by Lorraine Bracco) in "Goodfellas." This critically acclaimed film, starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta, received six Oscar nominations, with Pesci winning an Academy Award for his outstanding performance in a supporting role.

During the 1990s, Shepherd starred in various films including "Lolita," "Living Out Loud," and "Trees Lounge" before landing her notable role as Mary DeAngelis in the award-winning HBO series "The Sopranos." In this critically acclaimed mob drama, airing from 2000 to 2007, Shepherd portrayed Carmela Soprano's (Edie Falco) mother across 20 episodes. It is worth noting that HBO and CNN are both subsidiaries of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Ray Abruzzo, the "Sopranos" co-star, expressed his sorrow on X (formerly Twitter) Sunday upon hearing the news of Suzanne Shepherd's death. He described Shepherd as a formidable presence. According to IMDb, Shepherd's latest credit was in the war-era movie "The Performance," where she acted alongside Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Piven, and Maimie McCoy.

Shepherd is survived by her daughter, Kate Shepherd, son-in-law Miles McManus and granddaughter Isabelle Shepherd, according to her representative.