'Sopranos' Star Vincent Pastore Dead at 80

Vincent Pastore -- a veteran actor best known for playing Salvatore “Big P****” Bonpensiero in "The Sopranos" has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The actor was found dead in his Bronx residence by his longtime friend, Stephen Villano, on Saturday afternoon after he hadn't been heard from in several days. His cause of death is currently unknown by his family.

The Fire Department of New York received a call about an unresponsive male around 2:30 PM local time Saturday. Pastore was dead when they arrived. NYPD arrived later in the afternoon and began investigating.

Vincent served in the Navy during the Vietnam War before getting an acting degree from Pace University. He landed his first role in the movie "Black Roses" in his early 40s.

He became a regular in flicks involving the mob ... playing parts in "Goodfellas," "Carlito's Way," "Men of Respect," and "Witness to the Mob."

In 1999, Vincent landed the role of Big P**** ... appearing in 30 episodes of the 7-season show as the trusted member of Tony Soprano's crew who turns informant for the FBI.

Vincent's other credits include ... "Shark Tale," "Spinning Gold," "Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn," "Everybody Hates Chris," and "Yellowjackets."

In more recent years, Vincent became a regular on reality television ... participating on "Celebrity Fit Club" and “Dancing with the Stars” -- though he quit the latter after just one week due to the physical demands of the program.

He also competed on the “Celebrity Apprentice” when President Donald Trump was still hosting ... and notably even faked an argument with teammate Piers Morgan to convince the other team he was on their side and spy on them -- a move reminiscent of his 'Sopranos' character.

He is survived by his daughter Renee. He was 80.