Two weeks after Ray Liotta passed away in his sleep at age 67, his daughter, Karsen Liotta, penned a short but touching memorial to her father. “Those who knew him, loved him. You are the best Dad anyone could ask for. I love you. Thank you for everything,” Karsen, 23, captioned a June 9 Instagram post. In the throwback picture, Ray holds a young Karsen as they both look towards the camera.
Fans and friends greeted the memorial with love and well-wishes. Ryan Dorsey posted a pair of “praying hands” emojis. Jeweler and Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Meredith Marks wrote, “Sending love and positivity.” “Thinking of you, sweet angel, sending you and your family all my love,” added musician Kristiane. Model Willow Raye also wrote, “sending love and light.”
Following Ray’s death, his former costars, Jennifer Lopez and Kevin Costner, each released a statement mourning the late actor. Kevin said he was “devastated” by Ray’s death and that the actor left an “incredible legacy.” Jennifer, who worked with Ray on Shades of Blue, said she would remember him “always.”
Ray shares his daughter with his ex-wife Micelle Grace. Ray and Michelle, 53, were married from 1997 to 2004. “I had a relationship after I got divorced, and it didn’t feel as equal as I would have liked,” Ray said to The Guardian in 2007. “I was more vulnerable based on the experience I’d just been through.”
The Field of Dreams star also spoke about his relationship with Karsen. “My whole life is about her. Being a dad. She’ll come up and visit me on set,” he said in that Guardian interview. “I don’t like to go too long without seeing her. Maybe a couple of weeks. I just had a period of four months at home because I decided not to do a movie so I could spend more time with her. It was all about taking her to dance classes, playing with her.”
Ray passed away in his sleep on May 26 while in the Dominican Republic. A cause of death hasn’t been revealed, but reports claim no foul play is suspected. His fiancée, Jacy Nittolo, was reportedly with him when he passed.
“My life these past couple of years have been nothing but truly magical. Ray and I share a deep love that I will cherish in my heart forever,” Jacy wrote in a statement released shortly after his death. “We laughed daily, and we were inseparable. The chemistry was wild in the best way. He was everything in the world to me, and we couldn’t get enough of each other. The kind of real love that one dreams of.”