Scarface star Ángel Salazar is suspected of dying from a persistent heart condition.
August 12, 2024, published at 10:35 am ET
Famed gangster-hench-actor Ángel Salazar has passed away at the age of 68.
Best known for his roles involving weapons Al Pacino sweeps Scarface And Carlito’s Road, RadarOnline.com can reveal that he died in his sleep in a bed at a friend’s home in Brooklyn, New York.
His representative Ann Wingsong said he died Sunday morning.
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Salazar, left, was known as the armed sidekick of Al Pacino’s gangster characters Scarface and Carlito’s Way.
Ms Wingsong added that Salazar’s boyfriend went to check on him in the morning and discovered his deceased body in bed.
Although the cause of death is not yet known, she also said that the actor previously had persistent heart problems.
Salazar became instantly recognizable to movie fans after playing Chi Chi Brian DePalma‘s brutal gangster film from 1983 Scarfacebased on a screenplay by a now 77-year-old Oliver Stone.
His character was one of the most loyal sidekicks of Al Pacino’s rogue drug lord Tony Montana, saving the coke smuggler’s life during the film’s infamous chainsaw slaughter scene.
Chi Chi is ultimately wiped out in a hail of bullets when Montana is targeted by rival drug lord Alejandro Sosa by a mass of mercenaries who attack his mansion.
Salazar started his acting career in 1979 with his first role in film Boulevard evenings.
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Salazar’s friends included John Travolta – the pair were photographed here in March at the premiere of 70-year-old Travolta’s Cash Out film.
The 6-foot-2 actor’s other high-profile film roles include a role on the side Tom Hanks in 1998 Punch line comedy drama.
He once again played an accomplice at Al Pacino’s side The untouchables crime drama by filmmaker De Palma from 1993 Carlito’s Road.
Salazar acted until his death and had reinvented himself as a stand-up comic for years – with his Instagram full of raunchy photos and jokes.
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The last movie he was shooting was The Brooklyn premiere from director Eric Spade Rivas.
Filming will be completed by the end of the year and Salazar will be reunited with Scarface star Steven Bauer.
His other acting credits include Walk proudly, Hot at the trot And Maniac cop 2.
Salazar’s fans have flooded social media with memories of the actor and tributes to his “incredible talent” – including the post below.
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His friend Diana Lynn Band Candy said online: “Shocked and saddened to hear that my friend Ángel passed away. You will be missed, thank you for making me laugh every time we see each other. Xoxo.”
Another friend said: “Rest in peace Ángel Salazar – ‘Chi Chi’ – you were a great actor and good friend Hermano. By Scarface Unpleasant Carlito’s Roadyour characters and comedy will be forever missed.”
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His comedic highlights include appearing on NBCs Latest comic status – with his final comedy appearance at Reno’s Silver Legacy resort and casino from August 1 to 4.
One of his last social media posts was a congratulatory message to the Team USA athlete Simone Biles27, for her triumph at the Olympic Games in Paris.
He said: “You did it Simone, you will come back BIGGER than ever… America is proud of you… Because you made America look good.”
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In 2020, Italian director Luca Guadagnino, 53, said he was going ahead with a film Scarface remake – which has now been abandoned.
It would have been the third time Scarface was made because De Palma’s version was a remake of the 1932 original.
Guadagnino said: “The first one Scarface by Howard Hawkes was all about the prohibition era.
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“Fifty years later, Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma make their version, which is so different from the Hawkes film. Both can stand on the shelf as two beautiful sculptures.
“Hopefully ours, more than forty years later, will once again be a worthy reflection on a character who is a paradigm for our own drive for excess and ambition.
“I think my version will be very current.”
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