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Vincent Pastore died on August 1, at age 80 at his home in the Bronx
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His funeral Mass was held on Thursday, August 6, at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Family Church in New Rochelle
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Friends, family and fans gathered in New Rochelle on Thursday to say a final farewell, with services held at the Church of the Holy Family where dozens of mourners came to pay their respects
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He is survived by his daughter, Renee Niebylski and her husband, Christopher, his cherished granddaughter, Maia Niebylski, his brother, John Pastore and sister-in-law, Pam, and his sister, Sally Molloy
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Stevie Van Zandt called him “one of the warmest, kindest, most charming and charitable human beings I have ever known, in dramatic contrast to his totally authentic portrayal of scary gangsters on film. Huge loss. One of a kind.”
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“He could be the scariest you’ve ever seen and the warmest, kindest man you know in real life. That was the thing about him,” said fellow Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt
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Michael Imperioli wrote on Instagram, “Our beloved friend and collaborator VINCENT PASTORE has passed away. This is a hard one for us, it seems like I’ve known Vinny forever. We did lots of work together and traveled all over the USA as well as Italy and Australia. Lots of good times. Lots of laughs. Vinny was a kind-hearted brother who cared deeply about his family and friends. I will miss him always.”
Friends, family and fans gathered in New Rochelle on Thursday to say a final farewell to actor Vincent Pastore at Church of the Holy Family, where dozens of mourners came to pay their respects to the beloved Sopranos star.
Vincent Pastore, 80, died on August 1, at his Bronx home. His funeral Mass was held at Holy Family Church in New Rochelle.
As mourners followed his casket out of the church, many reflected not only on his acting career but also on the kind of person he was away from the screen, with several people who knew Pastore said he was remembered for his warmth, generosity and larger-than-life personality.
“He could be the scariest you’ve ever seen and the warmest, kindest man you know in real life. That was the thing about him,” said fellow Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt.
Van Zandt had worked closely with Pastore for decades beyond their time on the show.
“He was one of the warmest, kindest, most charming and charitable human beings I have ever known, in dramatic contrast to his totally authentic portrayal of scary gangsters on film. Huge loss. One of a kind.”
Pastore is survived by his daughter, Renee Niebylski and her husband, Christopher, his cherished granddaughter, Maia Niebylski, his brother, John Pastore and sister-in-law, Pam, and his sister, Sally Molloy.
Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti, wrote on Instagram, “Our beloved friend and collaborator VINCENT PASTORE has passed away. This is a hard one for us, it seems like I’ve known Vinny forever. We did lots of work together and traveled all over the USA as well as Italy and Australia. Lots of good times. Lots of laughs. Vinny was a kind-hearted brother who cared deeply about his family and friends. I will miss him always.”
Imperioli’s tribute captured the sentiment of many castmates who mourned the loss of someone they called family.
“Such a funny & charming man… just a beautiful soul. Absolutely heartbreaking,” said Lorraine Bracco, who played Dr. Jennifer Melfi.
Lorraine Bracco shared her memories on Instagram.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano, shared: “A wonderful actor, a kind and loving man. It was an honor to know you and work with you.”
Steve Schirripa, who played Bobby Baccalieri, wrote in the obituary: “Vinny Pastore was a dear friend and a very generous, fun guy. When I first showed up on the second season of The Sopranos, Vinny told me he knew he was out. He said, ‘How many fat f–cks can we have on one show?’ We had a lot of laughs together over the years. I’ll miss him dearly.”
Schirripa’s recollection highlighted Pastore’s dry humor and generosity.
Rockland County actor, director and producer Paul Borghese, who shared a friendship with Pastore that spanned more than three decades, said “We shared a lot of good times together and I’m going to miss him like,” Borghese said one of the things he will remember most about Pastore was his distinctive personality and sense of humor. “He had this very robust, genuine laugh. Where you just knew he was laughing from deep, deep down.”
In the viral moment that first introduced audiences to Pastore’s legacy,
his iconic character, an enforcer for Tony Soprano, was famously killed off in Season 2 for being an FBI informant, though he appeared in 30 episodes.
Pastore captured international acclaim and a permanent place in pop culture history for his unforgettable portrayal of Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on HBO’s iconic, Emmy-winning series The Sopranos. As a pivotal character in the show’s formative early seasons, Pastore brought a remarkable blend of gravelly toughness and heartbreaking vulnerability to the screen. Alongside the cast, his poignant work earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2000 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
For 10 years, he hosted Stevie Van Zandt’s “Little Steven’s Policeman’s Ball,” raising millions for the NYPD, the Detective Endowment, the Association for Widows and Children, and NYPD With Arms Wide Open to aid kids with special needs.
While fans will always remember Pastore for his unforgettable portrayal of Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, one of the actor’s greatest passions came later in life — teaching aspiring performers at HB Studios. According to Villano, Pastore loved mentoring the next generation of actors and often reminded his students that making it in Hollywood wasn’t impossible.