Spencer Lofranco, the Canadian actor who starred opposite John Travolta in Gotti, has died aged 33, his family has confirmed.
His brother, Santino Lofranco, announced the news in an Instagram tribute on Thursday, sharing childhood photographs and writing: “To the legend @roccowinning. My brother. You lived a life only some could dream of.
“You changed people’s lives, and now you are with God. I will always love you and miss you Bear. RIP. October 18, 1992 – November 18, 2025.”
Authorities in British Columbia are investigating the circumstances of his death, according to TMZ.
Early life and path into acting
Born in Toronto in 1992, Lofranco grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, with his older brother Santino. His father, Rocco, worked in law, while his mother, Amy, was an opera singer, a world that sparked Lofranco’s first interest in performing.
In a 2014 interview with Interview Magazine, he recalled spending hours in waiting rooms while his mother auditioned.
“My mom growing up was a dancer, an opera singer, and she also did acting. Growing up, sometimes my mom would take me to auditions and I would sit in the waiting room with her,” Spencer shared.
“My dad didn’t want me to be an actor; he wanted me to be a hockey player and become a lawyer. That didn’t happen.”
After attending military school in his teens, he studied at the New York Film Academy, describing acting as something he had been “doing my whole life” without realising it.
He told the outlet: “I finally realised what I was doing and it was just getting me in trouble. I went to summer acting classes. Then I did a year conservatory at New York Film Academy and then that’s when I got Jamesy Boy.”
His breakthrough came with the 2014 drama Jamesy Boy, where he starred alongside Mary-Louise Parker.
Film career
Lofranco’s short but varied filmography included roles in At Middleton (2013), Jamesy Boy and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken (both 2014), Home and Dixieland (2015), and King Cobra (2016).
In the same Interview piece, he said he wanted to pursue “real-life, candid films” and admired actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio.
“I want to do real-life, candid films,” he told the outlet. “I don’t want to be thrown into anything that could jeopardise my career. I want to be wise about what I choose. Actors whose choices I’ve liked are Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, River Phoenix.”
His most high-profile part came in 2018’s Gotti, the biographical crime film in which he played John “Junior” Gotti opposite John Travolta.
Life in recent years
Lofranco had largely stepped away from acting after Gotti. In a 2018 YouTube interview, he revealed he was homeless and living on the Venice Beach boardwalk, supporting himself by selling artwork.
“You’re fully exposed… there’s no privacy,” he said of life on the promenade, appearing on camera with his dog beside him.
Fans who followed his TikTok and Instagram livestreams expressed concern about his wellbeing in recent years and shared tributes after his death.
One user wrote: “He was in tears last week, wanting to get sober for his mom and dad.” Another added: “I used to go on his Lives and remind him he is beautiful, loved and cherished. RIP, Bear.”
Lofranco’s final Instagram post, shared earlier this month, has since become a memorial page for fans and friends paying tribute to the actor’s talent and troubled journey.
