Ray Liotta’s fiancée Jacy Nittolo mourns the late actor on the anniversary of his death: ‘One year of heartache’

Ray Liotta’s fiancée Jacy Nittolo took to Instagram on Friday to acknowledge the one year anniversary of the actor’s death.

The Goodfellas star died May 26, 2022 of acute heart failure and fluid in his lungs while working on a film in the Dominican Republic. 

It was reported that he passed away in his sleep. 

On Friday the 48-year-old former hairstylist shared a slew of outtakes along with a lengthy, heartfelt caption.

Nittolo described the past 12 months as she said, ‘It’s been a heavy year of pain, heartache, healing, growing and accepting what is.’ 

Tribute: On Friday the 48-year-old former hairstylist shared a slew of outtakes along with a lengthy, heartfelt caption

She began the note, ‘A year ago today I was on a flight home from the Dominican Republic by myself in shock.’ 

The mother-of-four, who has kids from a previous relationship, continued, ‘My entire world unexpectedly turned upside down. 

‘I’ll never forget the beautiful woman, a complete stranger, who sat next to me and didn’t say a word. She gently grabbed and held my hand the entire flight as I cried and looked out the window.

‘When we landed she looked at me and said everything is going to be ok. You’re going to be ok.’

Engaging her 14,000 followers, Jacy continued to recall what happened that day.

‘I walked off the plane and met Ray’s sister for a connecting flight to LA and I don’t know what I would have done without Linda that night,’ she remembered.

She added that she has been ‘learning to smile at what was.

‘It supposedly gets easier with time. No time will change a loss so great. You just learn to live with it and keep going, trusting that all will be ok,’ the California native went on.

Heartfelt: She began the note, ‘A year ago today I was on a flight home from the Dominican Republic by myself in shock’

She mentioned Ray’s daughter, as well as her own children, as she wrote: ‘Karsen, Dax, Chazz, Jade and Joey…. You keep me going every single day.’

Karsen, 24, was Ray’s only child, who he shared with ex-wife Michelle Grace.

May 26 is also the day Jacy’s grandmother died, which she shared in her poignant post. 

’20 years ago today of all days my grandmother passed away. She helped raise me. She was the other love of my life and one of my favorites of all time. Both on 5/26,’ she finished the caption.

Earlier this month it was revealed that Ray died from what is medically known as a pulmonary edema while he also suffered with atherosclerosis, is a narrowing of the arteries.

In documents obtained by TMZ, doctors categorized the manner of death as natural and nonviolent respiratory insufficiency, pulmonary edema and acute heart failure.

At the time, it was announced that he had died in his sleep at Casas del XVI in Zona Colonial hotel in the Dominican Republic, where he had been filming Dangerous Waters.

An emergency service team rushed to the building but he could not be saved, and his body was transferred to the forensic institute of Santo Domingo.

Sweet moment: Jacy shared a black and white image of a passionate moment with Ray

In December Nittolo took to Instagram to mark what would have been the actor’s 68th birthday.

She posted a slideshow of family photos with the Black Bird star set to the tune of In My Life by The Beatles.

She captioned the post with a quote from writer Chuck Palahniuk that read, ‘The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.’

Nittolo said, ‘Today Ray would have been 68. I believe he created a lot for everyone that will live on forever, especially in the hearts of Ray’s sister Linda, his daughter Karsen and myself.’

She wrapped up the post in saying, ‘Today we celebrate you.’

Love story: Liotta proposed to Nittolo on Christmas 2020, after his daughter Karsen introduced them

Liotta proposed to Nittolo on Christmas 2020, after his daughter Karsen introduced them.

Jacy was hesitant to go out with an actor, and The Marriage Story star admitted he wasn’t crazy about her having a young son.

‘The buzzkill for me was she also had a 10-year-old, and when you’re in your 60s, the last thing that you want is a 10-year-old,’ the doting step-dad said during a 2021 appearance on Live With Kelly And Ryan.

He added, ‘Luckily, this kid is very cool.’