“The Godfather” star James Caan died at the age of 82

The US actor James Caan, who was known for films like “The Godfather” and “Misery”, is dead. He died on Wednesday evening, as his family announced on Twitter on Thursday. Caan’s spokesman confirmed the death of the actor to the German Press Agency. Caan was 82 years old.

“It is with great sadness” that they would announce the death of “Jimmy”, the relatives wrote on the actor’s Twitter account. The cause of death was not initially disclosed. During this “difficult time”, the relatives asked for their privacy to be preserved.

James Caan played Sonny Corleone in The Godfather

Numerous filmmakers expressed their grief and paid tribute to the deceased. “Misery” director Rob Reiner described Caan as a talented and instinctive actor. “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn wrote on Twitter that he loves so many of Caan’s films, first and foremost of course his “The Godfather” films.

Caan became famous for his role as mobster Santino ‘Sonny’ Corleone in The Godfather in the 1970s. She earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1973. He continued his career with films such as “Rollerball”, “Funny Girl”, “Another Man, Another Woman” and “The Loner”.

The character actor made it big again in the early 1990s with the horror thriller “Misery.” Director Reiner took a Stephen King template, in which a best-selling author (Caan) falls into the hands of a mad admirer (Kathy Bates).

Caan grew up in a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York. The father of five was married four times, his last marriage was divorced in 2009.