Very sad news. Apparently he died of a heart attack in Italy today. He was 51. RIP.

TMZ

slashfilms.com

Actor James Gandolfini, best known for his role as Tony Soprano in HBO’s The Sopranos, has reportedly died suddenly in Italy after a suspected heart attack at the age of 51. More details to follow.

He was one of my favourite actors and I found it interesting watching him play roles outside of the Sopranos. I was hoping for more.

RIP : 'Sopranos' actor James Gandolfini dead at 51


James Gandolfini
DIES IN ITALY

James Gandolfini -- who famously played Tony Soprano on "The Sopranos" -- died earlier today in Italy ... TMZ has learned.

Gandolfini is believed to have suffered a heart attack. He was 51.

Gandolfini was in Italy to attend the 59th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily -- and he was scheduled to participate in a festival event this weekend with Italian director Gabriele Muccino.

Gandolfini shot to fame playing a hitman in the 1993 hit "True Romance" ... and quickly became a Hollywood legend when he was cast as Tony Soprano in 1999. He won 3 Emmy awards for the role during the show's 6 season run.

Gandolfini also appeared in a ton of huge movies including "Get Shorty," "The Mexican" and "Zero Dark Thirty."

We last spoke to Gandolfini in May in L.A. -- he was in great spirits, making funny faces and joking about a "Sopranos" movie.

Gandolfini is survived by his wife Deborah Lin, who gave birth to the couple's daughter in October 2012. He also has a teenage son from a previous marriage. R.I.P.

http://www.tmz.com/2013/06/19/james-gandolfini-dead-dies-italy/

nydailynews.com

Actor James Gandolfini is dead at 51.

James Gandolfini, the New Jersey-bred actor who delighted audiences as mob boss Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos” has died following a massive heart attack in Italy, a source told the Daily News.

“Everyone is in tears,” the source close to the 51-year-old TV tough guy said.

A press-shy celeb who got his start as a character actor and became famous relatively late in his career — thanks to his breakout role on “The Sopranos,” Gandolfini has largely avoided the spotlight since the last season of the beloved show aired in 2007.

The burly Westwood, N.J. native has appeared in several supporting roles since then, playing the director of the CIA in “Zero Dark Thirty” and the gruff blue-collar father of a wannabe rock star in “Not Fade Away” last year.
Gandolfini hit Broadway in 2009 with the Tony Award-winning comedy “God of Carnage.”

“I seek out good stories, basically — that’s it,” he told The Star-Ledger last December.

“The older I get, the funnier-looking I get, the more comedies I’m offered. I’m starting to look like a toad, so I’ll probably be getting even more soon.”
Gandolfini’s wife, former model Deborah Lin, gave birth to a baby girl last October. The couple married in Hawaii in 2008.
Gandolfini — who spent part of his early career supporting himself as a bartender and nightclub manager — also has a son with his ex-wife, Marcy Wudarski.

His first break came in 1992 when he landed a role in a Broadway version of “A Streetcar Named Desire” that starred Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange.

Smallish parts in major films followed — Gandolfini played a submarine crew member in “Crimson Tide” in 1995 and a gangland bodyguard in “Get Shorty” the same year.

Fame came for the Italian-American actor after 1999, as “The Sopranos” garnered critical acclaim and cult popularity on its way to becoming a TV classic.

Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards for his sparkling depiction of protagonist Tony Soprano, a mobster trying to balance the mundane stresses of family life and his unusual occupation: organized crime.

is this a joke??/

Wtf this is completely out of the blue. RIP

Do you honestly think the NY daily news would report a joke like thiis?

I thought it might have been a internet prank..

RIP

I hoped so

So sad!

I just told my mum and she nearly had a heart attack. Truly devastating. I would've loved for there to be a Sopranos movie but it just wouldn't be the same without Tony Soprano.

Fair enough. I honestly thought it was too when i read the title, but when i say that the NYDN reported it i knew it was true.

I really really hope the passing of James Gandolfini is a hoax

I do too obviously but it's not.

Anyone notice how it seems like all the old mobsters go out this way? Is it the italian diet or what?

Anyway, RIP Gandolfini. Great actor. The best.

Rip tony soprano. Really a shame when a guy so talented goes so young.

Holy shit! RIP Jim.

He was quite a heavy breather and a bigger guy, but still so young. He never got too enjoy his money and success for that long since the show eneded.

Rest in peace, big man. Truly one of the greats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_peSCECc4I

very eerie that chris says he will have a heart attack at 50

For some reason, for me, some of the most fun I've had posting here on the BB was during The Sopranos days. Every Sunday night that thread was a fire. We ALL had fun posting. Partly because it was such a unique show, and as BBers, it was right up our alley, so to speak.

RIP James Gandolfini, our Tony Soprano



TIS

I agree. It was always fun in here on Sunday nights.

Rip

RIP Tony, he was a pretty young guy with long career ahead of him what a shame.

I imagine we'll be hearing from some of the Soprano cast members. I am just shocked!!



TIS

This article - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/art...art-attack.html says that Tony died in the final episode, i know alot of people including myself have speculated that he did but i wasn't aware of it ever being confirmed.

Combining this thread with another one, previously started.

The fuck? Damn. I really loved how he portrayed his character in Sopranos, he fit the role really great. He'll be one of those guys that will never be forgotten. Rest in peace Tony!

This really is a shame. It'll be tough watching episodes of The Sopranos without thinking about this. He had many great performances ahead of him.

Ha ha. No wonder I was getting confused, thinking I was posting on one thread and seeing it was the other. Don't mess with my head SC. I'm so confused!!!!

Seriously, one thread is a good idea.



TIS

....Rest in Peace T....

unbelievable. i just heard the news.

It's been posted a few times Faithful.

Zap2It.com

David Chase's moving statement on losing 'The Sopranos' star

"He was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. I remember telling him many times, 'You don't get it. You're like Mozart.' There would be silence at the other end of the phone.

"For [wife] Deborah and [son] Michael and [daughter] Lilliana this is crushing. And it's bad for the rest of the world. He wasn't easy sometimes. But he was my partner, he was my brother in ways I can't explain and never will be able to explain."

Huffington Post has this story. The video clip says he died of a stroke.

TIS

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/james-gandolfini-dead_n_3468861.html

He was a great actor. Always sad to see them go at such an age. This also brings a definitive end to the Sopranos, and no perfect casting for a Roy DeMeo flick...

HP is running what I think is a great picture:



TIS

I just heard "Wheel in the Sky" by Journey on the radio as I was driving and was reminded of the Sopranos and James.

David Chase released this statement.

"James was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that."

"He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. I remember telling him many times, 'You don't get it. You're like Mozart.' There would be silence at the other end of the phone."

Chase continues, "For Deborah and Michael and Liliana this is crushing. And it's bad for the rest of the world. He wasn't easy sometimes. But he was my partner, he was my brother in ways I can't explain and never will be able to explain.”

R.I.P. Such a wonderful talent. The Sopranos is my favorite television show of all time and when I get around to re-watching it (for like the fifth time) I'll never be able to view the last scene the same way again.

I was really saddened to hear the news of Gandolfini's passing. Even though he appeared in numerous roles over the years,his portrayal of Tony Soprano will be a benchmark of acting excellence for a lot of years to come.He had the tough job of leading a stellar cast,and he rose to it admirably.

My Sunday night ritual was to call the Chinese takeout place 25 minutes before showtime. That gave me 10 minutes to get there, and 10 minutes to get back,and a few minutes to get set up in front of the TV. My friend used to think I was kidding when I told them that I planned dinner around the show.
Got yourself a gun,and I got my egg fu yung.

James/Tony, thank you for so many great memories. R.I.P

LOS ANGELES (AP) - James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of a brutal, emotionally delicate mob boss in HBO's "The Sopranos" was the brilliant core of one of TV's greatest drama series and turned the mobster stereotype on its head, died Wednesday in Italy. He was 51.

Gandolfini died while on holiday in Rome, the cable channel and Gandolfini's managers Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders said in a joint statement. No cause of death was given.

"He was a genius," said "Sopranos" creator David Chase. "Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes."

RELATED: James Gandolfini Dead: Actor Dies of Heart Attack at 51 (REPORT)

Gandolfini, who won three Emmy Awards for his role as Tony Soprano, worked steadily in film and on stage after the series ended. He earned a 2009 Tony Award nomination for his role in the celebrated production of "God of Carnage."

"Our hearts are shattered and we will miss him deeply. He and his family were part of our family for many years and we are all grieving," said Armstrong and Sanders.

HBO called the actor a "special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone, no matter their title or position, with equal respect." The channel expressed sympathy for his wife and children.

Joe Gannascoli, who played Vito Spatafore on the HBO drama, said he was shocked and heartbroken.

"Fifty-one and leaves a kid - he was newly married. His son is fatherless now. ... It's way too young," Gannascoli said.

Gandolfini and his wife, Deborah, who were married in 2008, have a daughter, Liliana, born last year, HBO said. The actor and his former wife, Marcy, have a teenage son, Michael.

Gandolfini's performance in "The Sopranos" was indelible and career-making, but he refused to be stereotyped as the bulky mobster who was a therapy patient, family man and apparently effortless killer.

In a December 2012 interview with The Associated Press, a rare sit-down for the star who avoided the spotlight, he was upbeat about a slew of smaller roles following the breathtaking blackout ending in 2007 of "The Sopranos."

"I'm much more comfortable doing smaller things," Gandolfini said in the interview. "I like them. I like the way they're shot; they're shot quickly. It's all about the scripts - that's what it is - and I'm getting some interesting little scripts."

He played Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in Kathryn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden hunt docudrama "Zero Dark Thirty." He worked with Chase for the '60s period drama "Not Fade Away," in which he played the old-school father of a wannabe rocker. And in Andrew Dominick's crime flick "Killing Them Softly," he played an aged, washed-up hit man.

There were comedies such as the political satire "In the Loop," and the heartwarming drama "Welcome to the Rileys," which co-starred Kristen Stewart. He voiced the Wild Thing Carol in "Where the Wild Things Are" and made a rare return to the TV screen with the HBO film "Cinemate Verite."

Deploying his unsought clout as a star, Gandolfini produced (though only sparingly appeared in) a pair documentaries for HBO focused on a cause he held dear: veterans affairs.

"Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq" (2007) profiled 10 soldiers and Marines who had cheated death but continued to wage personal battles long after their military service had ended. Four years later, "Wartorn: 1861-2010" charted victims of post-traumatic stress disorder from the U.S. invasion of Iraq all the way back to the Civil War.

"Do I think a documentary is going to change the world?" Gandolfini said with characteristic modesty during an interview about the latter film. "No, but I think there will be individuals who will learn things from it, so that's enough."

Gandolfini grew up in Park Ridge, N.J., the son of a building maintenance chief at a Catholic school and a high school lunch lady.

While Tony Soprano was a larger-than-life figure, Gandolfini was exceptionally modest and obsessive - he described himself as "a 260-pound Woody Allen."

In past interviews, his cast mates had far more glowing descriptions to offer.

"I had the greatest sparring partner in the world, I had Muhammad Ali," said Lorraine Bracco, who, as Tony's psychiatrist Dr. Melfi, went one-on-one with Gandolfini in their penetrating therapy scenes. "He cares what he does, and does it extremely well."

After earning a degree in communications from Rutgers University, Gandolfini moved to New York, where he worked as a bartender, bouncer and nightclub manager. When he was 25, he joined a friend of a friend in an acting class, which he continued for several years.

Gandolfini's first big break was a Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" where he played Steve, one of Stanley Kowalski's poker buddies. His film debut was in Sidney Lumet's "A Stranger Among Us" (1992).

Director Tony Scott, who killed himself in August 2012, had praised Gandolfini's talent for fusing violence with charisma - which he would perfect in Tony Soprano.

Gandolfini played a tough guy in Tony Scott's 1993 film "True Romance" who beat Patricia Arquette's character to a pulp while offering such jarring, flirtatious banter as, "You got a lot of heart kid."

Scott called Gandolfini "a unique combination of charming and dangerous."

Gandolfini continued with supporting roles in "Crimson Tide" (1995), "Get Shorty" (1995), "The Juror" (1996), Lumet's "Night Falls on Manhattan" (1997), "She's So Lovely" (1997), "Fallen" (1998) and "A Civil Action" (1998). But it was "True Romance" that piqued the interest of Chase.

He shared a Broadway stage with Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden in "God of Carnage" when he received the best-actor Tony nod. He was in "On the Waterfront" with David Morse and was an understudy in a revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1992 starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange.

In his 2012 AP interview, Gandolfini said he gravitated to acting as a release, a way to get rid of anger. "I don't know what exactly I was angry about," he said.

"I try to avoid certain things and certain kinds of violence at this point," he said last year. "I'm getting older, too. I don't want to be beating people up as much. I don't want to be beating women up and those kinds of things that much anymore."

I liked that the opening credits was Tony having to commute to be a mob boss. He was one of the rest of us shlubs. So significant in pop culture b/c of his regular guy-ness; followed Ralph Kramden, Archie Bunker, Homer Simpson. He lost most of his battles like we do, he had no washboard stomach, he had no way to win, no matter how many corners he cut or how much money he had.

Thanks, James. Godspeed.

This is very sad. He died too young it's wasted talent.

I really liked James in 2004's Surviving Christmas with Catherine O'Hara.

What a versatile actor.

He will be missed.

Sad.

He was also great in 8MM,a movie about the dark world of snuff films. One of the last movies I saw was the Burt Wonderstone film with Steve Carrell,in which Gandolfini played a billionaire casino owner,Doug Munny.

r.i.p james gandolfini i will always remembr him,best actor!

James Gandoldini gave the greatest performance in the history of television R.I.P

RIP

RIP

This song always reminds me of Tony.

Such a pity- rest in peace!

RIP Tony

RIP James 'Tony Soprano' Gandolfini
I will watch the Sopranos back to back in the summer in tribute of you

Mad shame that was a great actor and person.

RIP James.

"You'll be hearing Journey all day long today on the radio news etc ...

It's been a long time since I posted on the BB, but this news was shocking to me, as I'm sure it was for everyone. I've always felt Tony Soprano was the best of the fictional gangsters, no disrespect to Pacino and DeNiro. I just thought Tony Soprano was the best. Too young too die... wow.

R.I.P. James, a true icon

R.I.P.James Joseph Gandolfini ,you was a great actor,you did very good movies, you were also very funny in Romance and Cigarettes.
You'll miss to you,Tony

By brother sent me a text about this last night. I couldn't believe it. Why couldn't it be some no talent hack instead of Tony friggin' Soprano?

gandolfini was also in crimson tide with denzel washington.

“There's an old Italian saying: you f--k up once, you lose two teeth.”

always makes me smile

Great actor...even away from Tony

really sad.... especially for his children

CNN had a segment this morning on Gandolfini. The ice cream shop that was the diner in which the last scene of the last episode was filmed, was packed last night. The owners of that diner put a "reserved" sign on the booth in which Tony/Carmela were sitting. Plus, HBO announced as a tribute to Gandolfini, they will re-run the Sopranos, though I don't know when.

Btw, didn't realize JG played Leon Panetti in Zero Dark Thirty.



TIS

A sad day and a great loss. The Sopranos literally re-invented television, and without Gandolfini there would have been no Sopranos. He was way too young to die. RIP.

An article with some messages from costars - http://www.today.com/entertainment/sopra...ctor-6C10387812

WOW something on which everyone agrees!

i just realized that if one removes some of the letters from gandolfinis's name it spells gandalf another great character who has been in both the lord of the rings and the hobbit.
it is sad when actor's pass away young. i don't know if there are any babylon 5 fans here but michael o'hare who played commander sinclair also passed away from a heart attack. on a final note i lost my mom to cancer this february.

i did hear last night that gandolfini was going to be working on another hbo series before his death.

R.I.P. Jimmy we will miss you

Sorry to hear about your mum bro that's brutal. Just pointing out you would need an extra a to spell Gandalf lol. I'm not a Babylon 5 fan but another actor who died of a heart attack was John Spencer who played Leo in The West Wing who was one of my favourite characters i think he was only late 50s.

Shaun Mader/PatrickMcMullan.com
James Gandolfini on June 10, just 10 days before the "Sopranos" star suffered a fatal heart attack in Italy.
Doctors in Italy battled for 40 minutes to save the life of James Gandolfini, the burly actor best known for his Emmy-winning role as a mob boss in the TV series "The Sopranos," before pronouncing him dead on Wednesday at age 51.
Gandolfini, whose performance as Tony Soprano made him a household name and ushered in a new era of American television drama, was vacationing in Rome and had been scheduled to attend the closing of the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily on Saturday.

Shocking and sad for his family and closest friends. Such a young man.

I can't help but think of the many hours spent here reading over The Sopranos boards when the show was in its first run. Alot of predictions, great insight, and fun

DMF

Very sad to hear. RIP

Very sad to hear. RIP

James Gandolfini: As Important As Brando in the Firmament of Fictional Mafia Bosses
Howard Barbanel
June 20, 2013


We now know how The Sopranos really ends -- Tony is taken out by the big capo di tutti capi in the sky. The series finale was left ambiguous but the boss of bosses up above doesn't go for unresolved endings, so ascending to heaven is New Jersey native James Gandolfini, who at 51 definitely went way before his time.

Gandolfini generally played heavies in film and television not because he was a big guy but because he was a heavyweight actor. The hugeness of his screen presence was most significantly manifested in his eight-year portrayal of Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano. The Sopranos created a new paradigm for dramatic television and made HBO must-see TV. Gandolfini's work was recognized by his peers by repeatedly winning the prime-time Emmy award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series along with similar honors from the Screen Actors Guild. He also took home awards from the Golden Globes and the American Film Institute, and was nominated just about every year that he didn't win.

The Sopranos, and Gandolfini's role as Tony, was every bit as important to the oeuvre of American mafia celluloid fiction as were Marlon Brando's Don Corleone and Al Pacino as Michael in The Godfather. Aside from that Coppola epic, The Sopranos probably had the most impact on American popular culture as it relates to Italian-American gangsters. Gandolfini was brilliant as Tony Soprano precisely because he seemed to embody and then channel his New Jersey Italian ethnicity thoroughly and completely.

Millions would tune in on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. to learn sage advice on how to run a complex business organization, how to manage recalcitrant personnel, how to fend-off federal regulators (in the form of law enforcement) and how to deal with high levels of stress. It was the quintessential primer on executive management tips for the new millennium. On the home front, Tony faced all the same frustrations and temptations as most middle-aged, upper-middle class men with the caveat that he acted upon the deeply repressed impulses of so many guys living lives of quiet desperation and in so doing served as a vicarious release for male frustration and aggression no less important than that offered by professional football earlier on any given Sunday. That Tony got away with most of it was part of the allure of his character. Gandolfini brought infinite layers of complexity and nuance to a role that is most often either played overly simplistically or for laughs.

Gandolfini's untimely departure is like that of John Lennon or Jim Morrison. There would never be a Beatles reunion after December 1980 or any real performances by The Doors after July 1971 and so The Sopranos can never rise again without the anchoring presence of the Sopranos' paterfamilias.

For those of us born between 1957 and 1963, Gandolfini's tragic early death is a loud knock on our late-40s and early-50-something doors. It is a signal that our lives, no matter how accomplished, are not infinite and our youth fleeting. To Gandolfini's family, friends and colleagues, a big-hearted guy will now leave a gaping hole by his disappearance.

Even in reruns, The Sopranos is one of the best shows on TV. It always seems fresh and vibrant even if you've seen that particular episode a half dozen times. That's partly a testament to James Gandofini who gave a performance for the ages on a par with Brando. Thanks, Mr. Gandofini, for making many a Sunday night so meaningful. We wish you Godspeed and a great seat in heaven's Bada-Bing.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-barbanel/james-gandolfini-as-impor_b_3469635.html

RIP, he was a great actor.

“He was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. I remember telling him many times, ‘You don’t get it. You’re like Mozart.” There would be silence at the other end of the phone. For Deborah Lin, Michael and Liliana this is crushing. And it’s bad for the rest of the world. He wasn’t easy sometimes. But he was my partner, he was my brother in ways I can’t explain and never will be able to explain.”

- David Chase (Creator)


"I am shocked and devastated by Jim's passing. He was a man of tremendous depth and sensitivity, with a kindness and generosity beyond words. I consider myself very lucky to have spent 10 years as his close colleague. My heart goes out to his family as those of us in his pretend one hold on to the memories of our intense and beautiful time together. The love between Tony and Carmela was one of the greatest I've ever known.

- Edie Falco (Carmela)


"I had the greatest sparring partner in the world, I had Muhammad Ali," ... "He cares what he does, and does it extremely well. ‘We lost a giant today. I am utterly heartbroken."

- Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi)


"Jimmy treated us all like family with a generosity, loyalty and compassion that is rare in this world. Working with him was a pleasure and a privilege. I will be forever grateful having had a friend the likes of Jimmy.

- Michael Imperioli (Chris)


"Fughedabout losing one of the best actors of our time... we lost so much more. Anyone from the Soprano family will tell you he was one of the most generous, real and humble human beings ever...with a presence that could shatter planets when he walked into a room. A King through n through. So very sorry for his family."

- Drea de Matteo (Adriana)


"The only image I had was standing and watching him, like watching the water flow. He was that easy, that focused, that real," ... "It wasn't like we were acting."

- Dominic Chianese (Uncle Junior)


"I've not only lost a great friend, but a true brother, on screen and off. James was the most generous actor to work with, but more so, a man with a heart of gold."

- Aida Turturro (Janice)


"Jimmy was one of my closest friends in life. He helped me with my career as well as my personal life," ... "We visited troops together in Iraq and became very close. He will be missed and I love him."

- Tony Sirico (Paulie)


"This is the loss of a glowing light, an instinctive actor and the type of person who you never got tired of talking to. Since 1998, my work with him grew into a second skin. The words in our scenes together would change but the mutual respect would never change."

- Vincent Curatola (Johnny Sac)


"We were enemies on screen, but pretty good friends off screen. Jim was a loving guy who just enjoyed life. It’s a sad and tragic thing that’s happened. I feel bad for his family. He always had something to say — you know how the guys are. It was a men’s club and everybody had a good time all the time. Jimmy was the perfect choice for Tony Soprano."

- Frank Vincent (Phil Leotardo)


"I have lost a brother and a best friend. The world has lost one of the greatest actors of all time. Maureen and I send our deepest sympathy and love to Deborah, Michael, Lily, and all of Jimmy's family."

- Steven Van Zandt (Silvio)


"He will now become even bigger in death than he was in life."

- Vincent Pastore (Big Pussy)


"I had to get up and leave. It was like being told a brother had died. Jimmy Gandolfini was as great a friend as he was an actor and a human being."

- Steve Schirripa (Bobby)


"I couldn’t have asked for any better actor or better gentleman to work with. His generosity was unmatched. He was always right there for me during the show. It was a head-spinning . . . experience for everyone, yet he always found the time for me and everyone on the cast."

- David Proval (Richie)


"Jimmy was very private. He didn’t like publicity, you know that. I loved him. We’re in shock."

- Joe Pantoliano (Ralph)


"James Gandolfini was one of the greatest actors of our time.... He was a really well-nuanced actor."

- Federico Castelluccio (Furio)


"Jimmy and I were not the closest of friends, but I am forever indebted to him. He came with his son and spoke at my wedding, came to my restaurant to meet fans sick as a dog in the rain and stayed for hours. He also said he would go in and talk to David Chase with me if I didn’t want to play my role on the show. Just a humble and gifted actor and person."

- Joseph Gannascoli (Vito)


"My heart is broken and my heart goes out to his family and his children. He was one of the most generous and supportive people I've ever known."

- John Ventimiglia (Artie)


"The news has left me heartbroken," ... "I can only imagine the pain his family feels at this time, and my heart goes out to them, especially Deborah, Michael, and Lilliana."

- Jamie Lynn Sigler (Meadow)


"I haven't cried in years and now I can't stop ... Please tell me this is all a bad dream ... I love you so much james and always will."

- Robert Iler (AJ)

Fans Gandolfini 'Put New Jersey on the Map'

Still shocked he's dead. Doesn't seem real

my friend Mario remarked to me that the great James Gandolfini, died while are giving on Italian television late in the evening, the sixth series in which Tony was struggling between life and death. I replied to him''Mario,ora sapim cà à vita è prop infam" (Mario, now we have the proof that life is really infamous).

i heard on the news that his son found him unconscious and he was given medical treatment but pronounced dead at the hospital. sad news.

The piece-of-shit rag, New York Post, has reported that Gandolfini had gone on a drinking and eating binge shortly before his death.

Damn shame. Far to young....

RIP

Nothing they print surprises me anymore.

Agreed the Post is a shit rag. Let the man die with some dignity. What the hell did he ever to to the Post?

No fucking respect for the dead,FUCK THE POST

Hi.I'm italian and i live in Italy. I can only say that the news has shocked everyone here and all the newspapers and TV news talk about ...making of gifts for him.
I do not know what he told the New York Post but I can say i read on the web the results of the autopsy and the death was occured to natural causes! More respect!

http://www.liberoquotidiano.it/news/1266...e-naturali.html

Here is the link of the spokesman..who do not understand Italian uses google translate...

the governor of NJ has ordered that all flags be flown at half staff in honor of gandolfini.

So sad. Feels like watching Tony driving home - knowing that this time he just won't come back. Through the years I always wondered how Gandolfini managed to turn Tony into a character we honestly and surprisingly care about. It takes huge talent to show all the different facettes of a mobster's fractured mind .

Goodbye James, goodbye Tony. May you rest in peace.

One of the greatest actors of his generation….

The character of Tony Soprano was a villain. He was a killer who committed vile acts, an unfaithful husband, and a thief. It would have been easy to see him a caricature, a two-dimensional cartoon, if not for the extraordinary acting of James Gandolfini.

He brought the part of Tony Soprano off the page and into life. Through James we viewed Tony Soprano not as an antagonist but as an immensely complex individual. He presented us with a glimpse into a character who was at the same time a loving, faithful, vicious, angry, resentful, jealous man who loved his family, valued friendship, and agonized over life-and-death decisions.

It would have been easy, and would have even worked, if only to a lesser extent, to bring the internal battles that waged in Tony Soprano’s soul into shouts or action, but James Gandolfini was a better actor than that. With a simple stare or a shrug he conveyed the passions of a complex character without ever resulting in forcing the role. A clenched jaw or a sideways glance from Gandolfini said more than most actors could screaming at the top of their lungs.

Like the series the light go down far too quickly and suddenly, but this time there’s no hope of a final bow or an encore.

RIP

Met him on a plane going back to O'Hare Airport one time. Nice guy and a great bigger than life actor. Very realistic portrayal of Tony Soprano. He took me back to the 1960's when I was a kid. It was like going back in time through the Tony Soprano time machine. He was born for that role. R.I.P. Big Man.

In honor and in rememberance of James's characterization of Tony Soprano, I bought Journey's Greatest Hits today:

Was nice reading the tributes by his fellow Sopranos cast, he was very much loved..

Well that ruins that show for me. Now I'd just feel depressed watching it.

This news still makes me sad. Personally, I don't care too much if a celebrity/actor/actress/pro athlete dies. Most are douche bags. James Gandolfini to me, was different. He will be missed.

RIP "T"

I wrote some words on Gandolfini here.

Nice

Nice article Capo. I've read it a couple times, you've picked up things from the Sopranos that flew over my head. James was certainly a good actor.