Goodfellas mobster Henry Hill dies aged 69

Henry Hill - the former mobster whose life was immortalised by Ray Liotta in Goodfellas - has died aged 69.

Hill's girlfriend Lisa Schinelli Caserta, told TMZ website: "He had been sick for a long time...his heart gave out". Hill died at a Los Angeles hospital from an undisclosed illness.

The son of Caserta, Nate, confirmed Hill had died and paid tribute to him in a post on Facebook:

Hill was associated with New York's Lucchese crime family and was involved in the 1978 Lufthansa heist at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, which netted the gang $5 million - the largest ever cash robbery in the US at the time.

He later spent several years in witness protection with his wife and children after turning FBI informant after being arrested for pushing drugs - his testimony led to 50 convictions.

In the early 1990s Hill was kicked out of the witness protection program following arrests on narcotics-related charges.

He has been a regular guest on American radio personality Howard Stern's show in recent years.

Martin Scorsese’s 1990 film Goodfellas, starring Liotta as Hill, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, chronicled his eventful life and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

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Hill prided himself on reforming later in life.