Vincent Pastore remembered by longtime friend, fellow actor from Rockland County
Actor and director Paul Borghese reflects on a 30-year friendship with the beloved Sopranos star, Vincent Pastore, who died Aug. 1 at age 80. He says Rockland was another home for Pastore.
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As family and friends prepare to say their final farewells to Vincent Pastore, those who knew the actor best are reflecting on his life, career and lasting impact.
Among them is Rockland County actor, director and producer Paul Borghese, who shared a friendship with Pastore that spanned more than three decades.
"We shared a lot of good times together and I'm going to miss him like," Borghese said.
Borghese said one of the things he will remember most about Pastore was his distinctive personality and sense of humor.
"He had this very robust, genuine laugh. Where you just knew he was laughing from deep, deep down," says Borghese.
Pastore, the beloved actor and "The Sopranos" character Salvatore Bonpensiero, died Aug. 1 at his Bronx home at the age of 80.
"It was unexpected. He wasn't in perfect health, but we thought we'd have him for much, much longer. He had just turned 80," Borghese said. "But he was a young 80."
Inside Borghese's Tappan Films office on Old Tappan Road are reminders of the many projects the two worked on together over the years. Their collaborations included the off-Broadway play "The Lamppost Reunion" and "Wild Children" in Nyack.
They also filmed "Duped," "Alienated," and "Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn" throughout Rockland County.
Other productions took place at the Sons of Italy Lodge in Blauvelt.
Their partnership extended beyond film and theater because the duo also participated in a promotion to help raise money for a local animal shelter.
Borghese said Pastore came to view Rockland County as another home.
"We've eaten in Piermont together a lot. He loved that," Borghese said. "The last couple of years his favorite restaurant for me to take him was Guilio's in Tappan."
As he prepares to say goodbye to his longtime friend, Borghese said he is still processing the loss.
"It's a mix of emotions because there's a lot of stirring up of the happy emotions and the good times, and then when you stop and think about it, you're like, but he's not here. So that breaks my heart," he said.
Pastore's funeral Mass is scheduled for Thursday morning at Holy Family Church in New Rochelle.
