Actor Peter Greene, who established himself as an onscreen villain during the 1990s, was found unresponsive inside his New York City apartment on Friday afternoon
A hand-written discovered was found next to the body of a tragic actor Peter Greene, investigators have revealed. The star died after being found unresponsive in his home in New York City on Friday. The 60-year-old, who played Zed in Pulp Fiction and starred in a whole host of films, including The Mask and Training Day, was found motionless in his apartment and pronounced dead at the scene.
While the cause of his death has not been announced, a mysterious message referencing a 1970s New York City gang was found next to him. The note is reported to have read “I’m still a Westie” – which is understood to be a reference to the Irish-American gang, the Westies. No other details have been revealed.
No foul play is suspected and the cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, police said. Paul’s longtime manager Gregg Edwards spoke hours after the tragic discovery, saying: “He was a terrific guy. Truly one of the great actors of our generation. His heart was as big as there was. I’m going to miss him. He was a great friend.”
He was due to undergo surgery to remove a benign tumour near his lung on the day he died. “He was a little nervous about the operation going in, but he said it wasn’t super serious,” his manager said.
“He sounded OK. It was just a totally normal conversation.” Greene is survived by his 16-year-old son Ryder.
The actor built a reputation in the 1990s as one of Hollywood’s most memorable screen villains. He played sadistic security guard Zed in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit Pulp Fiction, and ruthless mobster Dorian Tyrell opposite Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz in The Mask.
The father, who hailed from Montclair, New Jersey, ran away from home at 15 and lived on the streets of the Big Apple, where he turned to drug use and eventually dealing, he told Premier magazine in 1996. After attempting suicide in March that year, he sought treatment for his addictions, he said at the time.
He had around 95 film credits to his name and starred in “Laws of Gravity,” “Clean, Shaven,” “Blue Streak,” and “Training Day.” Mr Edwards said he was “a perfectionist who gave every job his all and wanted his performance to be just right”.
He added: “He worked with so many amazing actors and directors. He fought his demons but overcame them.”
A neighbour spoke about the tragic day to the New York Daily News, saying “Peter was lying on the floor, facedown, [with a] facial injury, blood everywhere”.
Fans of the actor flocked to social media to pay their tribute to the star from New Jersey, who was slated to begin filming with Mickey Rourke in January on an independent production called Mascots. One wrote: “This is heartbreaking news.”
