Actor James Caan, who played criminal Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather,” passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 82, according to a message on Twitter from his family.

The family requests that you continue to respect their privacy at this sad time, according to the message, which was shared on Caan’s official Twitter account. Caan was born in 1940 in the Bronx, New York City, the son of a kosher butcher.

Caan initially intended to become a football player in order to avoid following his father into the meat business. However, after attending Hofstra University in New York State, where he met future colleague Francis Ford Coppola, Caan developed an interest in acting.

Caan subsequently enrolled in the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, and his Broadway debut in 1961’s production of William Goldman and James Goldman’s play about the Second World War, Blood, Sweat, and Stanley Poole earned him his first major acting recognition.