Vincent Pastore will be laid to rest in the New York community where he spent much of his childhood following his death at age 80. The ‘The Sopranos’ Star Vincent Pastore’s Funeral Plans Revealed After He Was Found Dead first appeared on The Blast

Vincent Pastore will be laid to rest in the New York community where he spent much of his childhood following his death at age 80. The actor, best known for playing Salvatore “Big P-ssy” Bonpensiero on HBO’s “The Sopranos,” will be buried by his family in New Rochelle later this week, according to his longtime friend Stephen Villano.

Pastore’s body was discovered inside his Bronx apartment on Saturday after a neighbor reportedly went three days without hearing from him. A cause of death has not been disclosed. As his family prepares to say goodbye, those close to Pastore are remembering the actor as a humble hometown fixture who used his success to encourage younger performers.

Vincent Pastore Will Be Laid To Rest In New Rochelle

Villano shared the funeral detail with TMZ, confirming that Pastore’s family plans to lay the actor to rest in New Rochelle. Although Pastore was born in the Bronx, he grew up in the Westchester County city, where his family lived above the local Foresters club. New Rochelle remained an important part of his identity even after “The Sopranos” turned him into one of television’s most recognizable mob actors.

According to Villano, Pastore continued living simply and never allowed his celebrity status to change how he treated those around him. “He was a simple guy. He never let fame go to his head,” Villano said, noting that the successful actor still drove a Buick.

‘Sopranos’ Star Became A Mentor To Young Actors

Following his acclaimed run on “The Sopranos,” Pastore reportedly developed a passion for teaching and mentoring aspiring performers. Villano said his friend was honest with young actors about the overwhelming odds they faced but also used his own unlikely success story to encourage them.

“He used to tell them, ‘It’s a one-in-a-million chance of making it, but look at me. It’s part luck, who you are, how you train and hard work… but you can do it just as I did,’” Villano recalled.

Pastore did not begin pursuing acting professionally until later in life, making his eventual breakthrough particularly meaningful to those he mentored. Before Hollywood, he worked in New York and operated nightclubs. His path into entertainment reportedly began after an encounter with actor Kevin Dillon.

Kevin Dillon Helped Vincent Pastore Begin Acting

Pastore once credited Dillon with providing the encouragement and direction that helped him turn his acting ambitions into a career.

“It was really Kevin Dillon who got me my first break. I used to drive a limo in New York and that’s when I met the brothers for the first time. I told them about my dreams of becoming an actor,” Pastore previously told Edge magazine. “They ended up seeing me at this community theater I was doing, and Kevin helped me out. He gave me the direction I needed to finally act. From there, Danny Aiello really became my mentor.”

Pastore eventually accumulated credits spanning film, scripted television and reality TV. His movie appearances included a small role in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” and a larger part in the 1996 HBO film “Gotti.” He also made numerous appearances on “Law & Order.”

Outside scripted acting, Pastore competed on programs including “The Celebrity Apprentice” and “Dancing with the Stars.”

Vincent Pastore Remembered His ‘Pure Italian-American’ Childhood

Pastore frequently portrayed mobsters and other tough characters, but he pushed back against assumptions that those performances reflected his upbringing. “A lot of people think I grew up with those kinds of people. The truth is that I grew up in a pure Italian-American home. Tradition. We lived in New Rochelle in an Italian neighborhood,” he told Edge magazine.

The actor described his childhood with affection, recalling the food, neighborhood activities and personalities he encountered around New Rochelle. “I can still smell the pizza! Roller skating every Friday night at the Boys Club. Great memories,” he recalled. “We saw bookies and loan sharks. But to play these roles you don’t rely on memories. You use your own personality and come up with a great character. And for the record, I never knew any rats.”

Actor Gave ‘Big P-ssy’ A Sensitive Side

Pastore’s defining role arrived with “The Sopranos,” where he played Tony Soprano’s close friend who secretly became an FBI informant. The character’s betrayal placed him at the center of one of the show’s most memorable early storylines.

Pastore, however, did not approach Big P-ssy as a conventional mobster. “David Chase wrote that role for an actor who could play a tough guy who also could be sensitive. I saw Big P-ssy as a man with a big heart, and that was my choice of how I played that role,” he explained.

Pastore believed the character’s emotional conflict extended beyond his fear of being exposed as an informant. “In that scene where he is crying in the bathroom at Anthony Jr.’s confirmation, you knew it was not just because he was a rat, he was betraying his friends, which was even harder to deal with.”

As many remember Vincent Pastore’s legacy, his family will now return him to New Rochelle, the community whose people, traditions and memories remained part of him long after Hollywood came calling.

The ‘The Sopranos’ Star Vincent Pastore’s Funeral Plans Revealed After He Was Found Dead first appeared on The Blast