James Gandolfini has passed away in Italy at the age of 51

God, this is so sad. James Gandolfini died in Italy today. James was 51 years old, and it’s believed he suffered a massive heart attack. Gandolfini was in Italy for the 59th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily. He is survived by his wife Deborah Lin, who gave birth to their baby daughter last October. He also has a teenage son from another marriage.

Gandolfini is most famous for his turn as Tony Soprano in David Chase’s Emmy-winning mob opus The Sopranos. For his role as the somewhat neurotic head of a New Jersey mob family, Gandolfini won: a Golden Globe, an AFI Award, three Emmys, three SAG Awards, and a slew of other awards. In between filming The Sopranos (and after The Sopranos wrapped in 2007), Gandolfini worked a lot, mostly character roles in mid-size or larger movies. You can see his IMDB page here – I just saw him in Zero Dark Thirty a few months ago. He also costarred with Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly last year too. And just recently he was working on Animal Rescue, that film with Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and an adorable puppy.

Gandolfini was always a big guy, and he used his size to his advantage in every role I’ve seen. Sometimes he would use his size in the conventional way, to menace and intimidate. Other times, he would play the gentle giant, the big lug with hidden depths. It was said that David Chase asked James to put on more weight to play Tony Soprano, and that Gandolfini obliged by packing on something like 60 pounds. I had always wondered if, like so many people, James was a yo-yo dieter considering his sometimes wild weight fluctuations. I always hoped he was taking care of himself. Sigh.

Rest in peace, big guy.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

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92 Responses to “James Gandolfini has passed away in Italy at the age of 51”

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  1. NEENAZEE says:

    RIP… your work entertained and mesmerized millions of people. You will be remembered and missed.

  2. j.eyre says:

    May he rest in peace.

    Gone too soon.

  3. Virgilia Coriolanus says:

    I just saw this; I’m so sad. He was amazing in The Sopranos…my parents used to watch that show all the time, and they have all the boxed dvd sets. I also loved him in this movie he did with Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin- The Juror.

    It must be awful for his wife and kids….I can’t imagine being a child that young and wondering where Daddy is.

  4. Mirella says:

    So sad!! 🙁 Thoughts & prayers to his family & friends.

  5. TuffLuckCowgirl says:

    Arrivederci, Anthony. Thank you for everything. Sympathies to his family. What a loss.

  6. Littlebowbee says:

    We’ll miss you Tony… Too young too soon.

  7. Dragonlady Sakura says:

    Wow, so young! He was a great actor. My condolences to his family and friends.

  8. Shannon says:

    So sad and shocking!! Condolences to his wife and children.

  9. Sachi says:

    RIP James Gandolfini.

    He seemed like a kind, decent person.

    Condolences to his family and friends.

    • FLORC says:

      Being a genuine, good guy in Hollywood is such a rarity. I feel for his wife and his poor daughter that will never really know him and his son that will know what he lost. Sad topics today all over the place.

  10. Nessa says:

    Tony Soprano will always and forever be one of the best characters in television history. And JG’s portrayal of him will always go down as one of the best acting performances of all time. RIP, James.

  11. Lemony says:

    RIP to a very talented man

  12. Renee says:

    RIP. I get so sad when I read about a person dying way before his time.

  13. V4Real says:

    RIP from a Soprano fan.

  14. Penguin says:

    🙁

  15. lovegossip says:

    I am probably the only person who never watched The Sopranos, but I for sure know who he is. So sad! Prayers to his family! 🙁

    • Sugar says:

      I never watches either but certainly knew of him & his beautiful smile. So sad too young:(

    • Mel says:

      I never watched it either.
      But I certainly knew who he was; and he seemed like a nice person. (Handsome, too, despite his weight – not that it matters now.)

      His youngest daughter is only a few months old. In a way, she is lucky, as she will never really mourn him.
      But she will, most definitely, miss his presence in her life.

      Riposi in pace e luce.

  16. sarah says:

    How awful! I didn’t realize he had a new baby. I can’t believe he was only 51 though. I had to search wikipedia to make sure TMZ had his age right.

  17. guilty pleasures says:

    So sad. A very accomplished and talented man. To think of the sadness of wife and loss to his children is heartbreaking.
    Mention was made of his size, and while he was a larger man, that alone is not a harbinger of such an early death.
    My condolences to all of his loved ones.

  18. Launicaangelina says:

    RIP James Gandolfini. You were such a talent and entertained many. My thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends.

  19. Kate says:

    I’m really cut up about this. I loved his acting. So sad to think we won’t see him again. At least we’ll always have The Sopranos. What a shame to die so young and leave a young family behind.

  20. Thiajoka says:

    RIP.

  21. MsAubra says:

    I was hoping this was one of those internet hoaxes…

    • Assistantrachel says:

      Me too..

    • Chicagogurl says:

      Same here. I rushed over here to find out. Incredibly sad. Sympathies for his kids and wife. He was a wonderful character actor and had so much left to give. In most articles people talk about how soft a person he is, very respected and how into his work he gets.

  22. palermo says:

    This made me sad. Rest in peace.

  23. Beatriz says:

    Holy shit this is just too sad. Gandolfini is one of those actors I was always really fond of, not just because of his immense talent, but because he came off as a nice and funny person in interviews. I always worried a little bit because of his weight, but alas, one assumes people will be around forever somehow.
    Rest in peace and my thoughts and prayers go out for his family.

  24. RHONYC says:

    f*cking shame for such an iconic talent.
    i truly felt his best was yet to come. 🙁

  25. blannie says:

    I was so sorry to hear this today.

    And Vince Flynn, one of my favorite writers also just died at 46 (prostate cancer). These men are dying way too young! So sad for their families.

    • Aqua says:

      That’s what’s so surprising is that to me 51 is not that old considering people can live well into their late 80’s early 90’s. this is lives way of reminding us that we can’t or shouldn’t take it for granted.

    • O'Angie says:

      Oh no! I had not heard about Vince Flynn’s passing. My husband and I met him at a book reading a few years back. He was so friendly, spoke very highly of the men and women of the armed forces and the silent services, and really seemed happy to be there. We have fond memories of chatting with him. RIP Vince and James.

  26. needmeds says:

    RIP Tone… Thoughts to his family tonight.

  27. Barrett says:

    Sad. I want the universe to take it back. He still probably had some good work ahead of him. Like Nora ephron and other greats, we lose an artist, a great contributor to our culture.

  28. Shelb says:

    RIP to one of the greatest actors of the last 20 years and arguably the best actor in the history of television.

    And while people mention his weight, I don’t think it had too much of a factor in his death, since he wasn’t as big as people remember from the Sopranos. He put ON weight to play Tony, especially during the later seasons after he, SPOILER, was shot in the stomach and was in a coma. He’s been overweight for his entire career, but never overweight to the point of it being a huge concern, IMO.

    • chalkdustgirl says:

      I agree that he was overweight, but not significantly so. Unfortunately, simply being overweight–not immensely so–can spike that blood pressure enough for drastic results.

      RIP to a truly talented man, and, from what I always saw, a decent guy.

      • Penguin says:

        I agree chalkdustgirl. It doesnt sound like he was over weight 4 the 1st few yrs of his career. Seems like when he auditioned 4 role of Tony he was ok weight but was told 2 put on 60 pounds 4 role. That’s alot of weight 2,put on & he prob had 2 maintain that weight gain 4 a good 5 yrs for sopranos. not good 4 any1 s health. Rip x

      • Shelb says:

        The 60 pounds he put on wasn’t for the entire run, just for the post-coma Tony years, if I remember correctly. He lost it gradually over the remaining episodes and eventually went back to what was close to his younger weight.

        You can’t tell me he was too big, when you have guys like John Goodman in his 60s, who has even been going back and forth between extreme weight lose and extreme weight gain the last 5 years.

        I’m guessing James died from something that was either inherited from his parents or something random like a blood clot or a non-weight related stroke. Maybe even a heart attack that has less to do with weight than people think. My father is barely overweight (if at all) and has a heart condition needing surgery (that he refuses to have… hopefully this news changes his mind) and the heart problems have nothing to do with weight.

        Some people just get strokes and have heart attacks. It happens. The human body is a strange thing.

    • F5 says:

      It was not his weight and it was not his eating habits. It was a different habit but he was a helluva actor..
      Sux that he’s gone.

    • bob says:

      Agreed it’s much more complicated than just being overweight, my skinny little auntie died early of a heart attack, high cholesterol. My fat side of the family live long with low cholesterol.

      RIP. Thought to his family.

  29. Miss M says:

    RIP, James Gandolfini.

  30. Just Passing Through says:

    This makes me so sad….such a great actor, what a loss. 🙁

  31. MarathonMama says:

    RIP James. You mesmerized the viewing public with your amazing talent and that adorable little boy grin. Your friends and family are in my thoughts and prayers.

  32. Adrien says:

    51. That’s too young. I know he was out of shape but still. I was just watching True Romance the other day and damn he was good.
    RIP.

  33. Thora says:

    I knew it would be a heart attack even before I read the article. RIP James. Loved him as Tony Soprano and I’ll never forget his performance in True Romance.

  34. emmie_a says:

    I always read what a kind, generous man he was. He was loved by his peers and seemed like one of the genuine ‘good guys’ in Hollywood. Such awful, sad news. ugh.

  35. Caroline S. says:

    RIP James…such a wonderful actor! I am really sad! :/

  36. lady mary. says:

    noooo,:(((((.i am a huge gandolfini fan ,this is too shocking ,R.I.P James !

  37. Pinky says:

    Nooooooo!!!

  38. amilu says:

    It is very sad. Everyone is mentioning his weight, but he also had problems in the past with cocaine and alcohol. If he’d fallen back into old habits, that could’ve expedited his death. It’s terrible to think about, particularly since he had a new baby, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility.

    • bob says:

      Cocaine especially can really do a number on your heart, a friend works in drugs counselling and apparently it’s quite common.

    • DreamyK says:

      He was in Italy with his son, Michael, who just graduated from Jr. High. I hope that he wasn’t doing cocaine but it’s worth a mention that he died in bathroom 🙁 Even if he wasn’t actively using, the prior addiction to cocaine may have damaged his heart structure/function.

      As far as having a heart attack in a bathroom, it’s more common than you think. Straining to have a bowel movement puts quite a bit of pressure on the heart. I actually witnessed my 89 yr old grandmother have a heart attack while on the toilet. Thank god the hospice worker was there because it was a two person job to revive her, put her in the wheelchair and transition her to her hospital bed.

      RIP James. What a great actor. My condolences to your family. Those poor babies 🙁

  39. Um, hello? says:

    RIP

  40. AintMisbehavin says:

    A brilliant actor and all-around nice guy…this one is quite SAD. Condolences to family, friends & fans. #GodRestHisSoul

  41. dcypher1 says:

    Rest in peace I loved sopranos u have to if ur Italian he was gangster.

  42. Mira says:

    I’m shocked! I re-watched The Sopranos recently. Finished the sixth season just two weeks ago. God, this is terribly disappointing 🙁 RIP James!

  43. Lisa says:

    Holy shit. Actually shocked by this. I was just saying to a friend that I needed to watch all of The Sopranos episodes in order in this summer. Tony was indestructible. RIP.

  44. Lucy2 says:

    That’s so sad, especially for his children.

  45. ParisPucker says:

    This is just so terribly sad!!:( especially after reading that he was asked to GAIN weight for a part! WTF!

    He was an amazing actor… the awesomeness of his heart was palpable. Quite tragically, the organ that made his work so loved, as well him, is what killed him. Am genuinely saddened by this news. May you RIP Gandolfini, know that you were loved and that your presence will be missed…

  46. Tanguerita says:

    so, so sad…. 🙁

  47. Fare thee well, Tony.
    Peace to wife, kids and family. God is with you.

  48. Shelb says:

    The loss of his life is the biggest tragedy in this, but the fact that we never get to see him act again is a big thing for me, too. I went out of my way to watch him in anything after I saw him in True Romance (which I saw for the first time just before Sopranos aired).

    He was such an amazing actor that it’s almost criminal he never did more big roles. Sopranos was far and away the biggest thing he did, and after that I can’t think of anything he was in that gave him higher than third billing. Sad. Was waiting for the long awaited Hemmingway biopic was going to do for HBO, not to mention the upcoming series he was about to start filming.

    • Amy Tennant says:

      Patricia Cornwell posted on Facebook that she always thought he’d make a wonderful Marino in her Scarpetta series.

      RIP James. Way too young.

  49. Michael says:

    I am so sadden by this news.
    He was amazing actor.
    But at the same time I am a bit angry at James, his friends, family and doctors.
    They all must have seen that his health is quickly deteriorating due to excessive weight and associated problems. All this talent now gone forever because just bad habits, it is really really sad. Just a lack of strong will and motivation has made him go much sooner, than he should have. He could have been with us for another 20-30 years. What a waste!!!

  50. Relli says:

    I just finished watching the entire series two days ago and this made me very sad. RIP James.

  51. Maria_Spain says:

    omg ! 🙁 :'(
    so sad to read this , R.I.P sr

  52. teehee says:

    I never watched anything of his, but I do know of him and am saddened and surprised… I would say 51 is extremely young though for a heart attack so it couldn’t be just his weight- it must be genetic predisposition or stress or flying etc- it can cause embolisms etc. Oddly the ex wife of my step dad died last year from a lung embolism that developed after a flight she took to the US, she was 53 I believe.

  53. whateveryouwantittobe says:

    Very sad for his family, life cut awfully short 🙁

  54. lambchops says:

    This is heartbreaking. His poor wife and kids.

  55. HelenBack says:

    Have the major sads now. RIP Fat Tony.

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  57. Original A says:

    How sad, and he had a young baby too. RIP.

  58. Mrs. Darcy says:

    This is just devastating news, huge fan of him in the Sopranos of course but also his film work was pretty diverse and overlooked. He was so nuanced as an actor, a rare talent. I’m sad he won’t get a chance to create more wonderful roles on a selfish note. He seemed like a good guy and my thoughts are with his family.

  59. serena says:

    So sad…

  60. e.non says:

    this is just such damned sad news…
    and only 51.

  61. Andrea says:

    This is just so sad. He was such a great talent. And to leave a baby daughter behind….just tragic.

  62. lisa2 says:

    I saw on another site that he was in Italy with his 13 year old son; that the son was the one to call for help. I just can’t imagine what that boy is going through. I just can’t. He apparently according to reports died on the way to the hospital.

    very sad. Prayers for his family.

    • Mia 4S says:

      Even worse its been reported that it was just him and his son (father/son vacation). So awful. I’m sure his mother has rushed to him, but what a horrific thing for a 14 year old on his own. 🙁

  63. Kiddo says:

    Nice guy, great actor. He was always so gracious with fans during The Sopranos. It’s just too sad.

  64. Mew says:

    So sad..

  65. sami says:

    So sad , He will be missed prays to his wife and children and to his friends rip

  66. the original bellaluna says:

    I just can’t process this. His poor son, finding him and having to call for help. And in a foreign country, without any other family…

    My heart goes out to his wife and children. SO SAD. 🙁 🙁

  67. Joney Says says:

    RIP James Gandolfini! So young, with so much more talent to share. A great talent gone too soon. He will be missed. My condolences to his family.

  68. Victory says:

    Rest in peace