An investigation has been launched after up-and-coming actor Spencer Lofranco died at the age of 33.
His brother, Santino Lofranco, broke the tragic news on Instagram with images of the pair as children.
“You lived a life only some could dream of. You changed people lives, and now you are with God. I will always love you and miss you Bear. RIP.” the caption read.
Spencer Lofranco attends the ‘King Cobra’ Premiere. Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images
The cause of death for Lofranco, who died Tuesday, has not been confirmed and is under investigation by authorities in British Columbia, Canada, according to TMZ.
The actor was born in Toronto, Ontario, to lawyer Rocco “Rocky” Lofranco and opera singer Amy Lofranco, who later divorced. His father “didn’t want [him] to be an actor,” he wanted him to be a hockey player and a lawyer. However, Lofranco credits his mother, a dancer, opera singer, and actor, for inspiring his acting career.
The actor told Interview Magazine, “I was always a funny guy.” He continued, “I was being an actor my whole life.” He said that he was “always trying to make people laugh,” which “was just getting [him] in trouble.”
Lofranco attended Robert Land Academy, a military school, from ninth to twelfth grade because he struggled in traditional school.
In 2013, the actor was charged with a misdemeanor for a hit-and-run after he hit a cyclist in Los Angeles. Lofranco apologized to the victim, who broke her hip and suffered other injuries, before he fled the scene. He was charged with two years of probation and ordered to pay $161,000 in restitution.
He tells Interview Magazine that he began taking his career seriously when he attended summer acting classes, followed by a year at the New York Film Academy.
Lofranco alongside John Travolta in the 2018 film ‘Gotti’. Brian Douglas
Lofranco’s first-ever audition landed him the breakout lead role in Jamesy Boy, a 2014 film about the real-life James Burns, a troubled teenager who changed his life after being incarcerated for gang-related activities.
The actor said he resonated with the character because they were “both troubled and we were sent to institutions for juveniles.”
“There was a lot of drugs and alcohol and abuse in his family growing up,” Lofranco said of playing Burns. “There were just a lot of similar things that we had to deal with, so we could to relate each other.”
The actor’s most recent work was John Gotti Jr. in the 2018 film Gotti. He worked alongside John Travolta, playing John Gotti Sr, the infamous mob boss.
