Lancaster Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 MARIO ANZUONI/REUTERS 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drouin Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Man that's young.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everybody Hates Raymond Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 First Phillidelphia Collins now him. Terrible year for aging overweight actors. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortorella's Rant Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Didn't Chris mention Tony dieing of a heart attack in one episode? Well, it got him in real life RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Vintage Canuck- Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Wow, RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllEyezOnMe Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 WOW that sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:D Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 So it goes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyville88 Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Died far too young. Very sad. He brought Tony Soprano to life. One of the few actors who became his character and made the audience forget who he was in real life RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Didn't Chris mention Tony dieing of a heart attack in one episode? Well, it got him in real life RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apples Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJDDawg Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Didn't Chris mention Tony dieing of a heart attack in one episode? Well, it got him in real life RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Argh.... reading that just made my chest hurt. He was reportedly one of the true nice guys. Crappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stexx Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 "Gandolfini’s wife, former model Deborah Lin, gave birth to a baby girl last October. The couple married in Hawaii in 2008." probably the worst part, that poor kid grows up without a father who by all accounts was a pretty good guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom-The-Great Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 this is unfortunate at such a young age.. I was watching "Fallen" the other day and he was in it.. (amazing movie for anyone who hasnt seen it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLASSJAW Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 In my opinion the greatest actor in TV history His character is neck-and-neck with other HBO titan Al Swearengen (from Deadwood) for my favourite screen character of all time (tv or movie) Normally I do not care at all about celebrity deaths, but this one really, really sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonLever Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 R.I.P. Never thought he was so young, I thought he was older than 51. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remy Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Terrible news. I'm not overly familiar with a lot of Gandolfini's other works, but Tony Soprano is right up there with Tony Montana and Michael Corleone for best mob character ever. Far too young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a Fool Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Only 51... RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pears Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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