( CNN ) -- The man immortalized by Martin Scorsese 's film `` Goodfellas '' has died . Henry Hill , a former member of the Lucchese family of mobsters , died Tuesday in a Los Angeles hospital , according to a statement on his website . Hill passed away one day after his 69th birthday . The cause of Hill 's death has not yet been released . The self-proclaimed mobster first came onto the media scene in the nonfiction book `` Wiseguy , '' by journalist Nicholas Pileggi , detailing the `` never-before-revealed day-to-day life of a working mobster -- his violence , his wild spending sprees , his wife , his mistresses , his code of honor , '' according to the book 's back cover . The 1990 film , `` Goodfellas , '' depicted the rock-n-roll lifestyle of New York City mobsters -- everything from wealth and women to drugs and death . AMC has 'Goodfellas ' series in development . `` You never rat on your friends and you always keep your mouth shut , '' Hill 's character , played by Ray Liotta , was told in the movie . However , when Hill became worried his mob associates were out to kill him he became a police informant and `` ratted out '' scores of other gangsters . As the New York Times reported , the largest crime in which Hill participated was a theft at New York 's Kennedy International Airport , when the clan stole $ 5 million in cash and another $ 1 million in jewels from a Lufthansa cargo terminal . Hill testified against his compatriots and was not prosecuted for the crime . He lived in relative obscurity until the film 's success drew him out of hiding . Later in life , Hill became somewhat of a media magnet , appearing frequently in mafia documentaries and as a guest on `` The Howard Stern Show . '' The mobster was quite prolific on his website , goodfellahenry.com , dedicating an entire section entitled the `` How to Be a Mobster Guide '' to dispensing tricks of the trade . In the guide , which he wrote was meant to be purely humor , Hill described how to `` pistol whip '' , how to look good while on the run and the best ways to hide a corpse . Hill 's longtime companion , Lisa Caserta told CBS News that he died surrounded by family members and that years of smoking and a recent heart attack were cause for his poor health . 2011 : Original 'Goodfella ' Henry Hill talks mafia busts .
Then man who inspired mobster film , `` Goodfellas , '' passed away at the age of 69 Tuesday . The actor died in his sleep after suffering a heart attack while watching television with friends and family on Monday night. He lived in relative obscurity until the film 's popularity drew him out of hiding . Hill 's longtime companion , Lisa Caserta , told media he died surrounded by family members .