Tony Sirico: Incredible floral Sopranos tribute shared at actor’s wake

An intricate Sopranos floral tribute was displayed at Tony Sirico’s wake.

The Sopranos star, who played Paulie Walnuts on the hit mobster series, died on 8 July at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 79.

A day before today’s (13 July) funeral, an incredible floral arrangement was on display at Sirico’s wake. The message, “The Sopranos. Whaddya Hear, whaddya say?” was written in red and white flowers.

Below, in more flowers, it was signed “Love forever” by The Sopranos creator David Chase and series co-stars Denise Borino-Quinn, Steven “Stevie” Van Zandt, and Maureen Van Zandt.

Sirico’s Requiem Mass was led by his younger brother, Robert Sirico, who is a priest. Ahead of the funeral, it had been announced that the Brooklyn, New York service would be open to the public. It was also live-streamed on YouTube.

The live stream was viewed by thousands of people, with one writing in the comments: “Great to see Steven Van Zandt, Matt Servitto, and Chuck Zito there to pay some respect, God bless.”

Following Sirico’s death, The Sopranos stars paid tribute to the late actor, with Chase even hailing him as “a main reason” for the HBO series’ success.

In a statement, he hailed Sirico as a “jewel”, writing: “The way Buddhists refer to a jewel – supernatural and a master. But certainly not a Zen master. He was so uproarious, so funny, so talented. I’m very happy for him that in his mid-fifties and sixties he finally learned how talented and loved he was.”

Sirico is survived by daughter Joanne Sirico Bello, son Richard Sirico and his brother, Robert.