was discovered he was acting in a non-union production, Lethal Injection. However, Ray still got his union pension and benefits. His fee at this stage was $5,000 a week. He appeared in two more higher-profile films, Michael Cimino's The Sicilian (1987) and Blood Red (1989), both in supporting roles that emphasized his Italian heritage. In 1989, he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his throat that Ray attributed to excessive smoking and drinking. His last film, which was filmed in mid 1990, was Shock 'Em Dead, in which he appeared with Traci Lords and Troy Donahue. In an interview that same year, he said about his cancer: I regret that I don't have more control of my tongue and thoughts—because I speak too frankly and too honestly, and this world is not meant for frank and honest people. They don't mix. Reality is pretty phony... I'm in great shape—got all my energy and strength back. I had surgery on my neck last March, and after one more session of the chemo—that's 50 more hours—the doctors say I'll have it all beat... I'm not scared of dying—it's how I die that matters. I'd rather live one good year than ten more crappy years. And I think I've got some good pictures ahead of me if I can find the right roles. There's plenty of good stuff left in me, you know? Ray remained in Crockett, with his mother and family and friends. On 19 February 1991, he was admitted to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Martinez, 40 miles east of San Francisco. He died there of complications from throat cancer and pneumonia on 27 March 1991 at age 64. He was cremated and his ashes were put in an urn and buried in Crockett, with a majority of the residents coming out to pay their respects. Personal life Ray was married three times: Shirley Green on June 20, 1947. They had one child, a daughter named Claire. Jeff Donnell (married 30 September 1954, divorced 1956) British actress Johanna Bennet (married March 26, 1960, divorced 1967), who continues to work today under the name Johanna Ray as a respected casting director. They had two sons, Paul and Eric. Johanna Ray, a longtime collaborator with David Lynch, cast her son with Aldo, Eric Da Re, in Lynch's Twin Peaks series as well as in the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.