The Sopranos to "going straight" (to Tony's dismay), but also has an intense violent streak. Those in Tony's closest circle within the DiMeo crime family include Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt). Silvio is Tony's consigliere and best friend. He runs the family's strip club headquarters, and other businesses. Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico), a tough, short-tempered, aging soldier who is fiercely loyal to Tony and Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore), a veteran gangster who runs an automotive body shop. Paulie "Walnuts" and "Big Pussy" (often called just, "Pussy") have worked with Tony and his father. Also in Tony's criminal organization are:
Paulie Gualtieri an early stage, and Paulie undergoes radiation therapy. Paulie suggests that his luck at having been diagnosed early was a reward for good deeds in his life, and Tony agrees with him. He states in "Stage 5," that he beat the cancer, after learning of Johnny Sack's death from lung cancer. In "Remember When," Paulie and Tony leave for Miami to lie low while the FBI investigate the old case of Tony's first murder victim, Willie Overall. On the trip and in Miami, Paulie begins to reminisce about the old days, at which point he brings up Pussy Bonpensiero and