David Chase, HBO Pay Tribute to SOPRANOS Star James Gandolfini

By: Jun. 20, 2013
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Last night, HBO paid tribute to the late James Gandolfini, who portrayed Tony Soprano in the long-running cable network series by airing a special episode of the show. The actor died yesterday in Italy, according to multiple sources. He was 51. The cause is rumored to be a heart attack but no details have been confirmed. The actor was in Italy for the 59th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily, where he was set to join director Gabriele Muccino for a festival event.

David Chase, the Emmy-winning creator of the series, released The Following statement yesterday:

"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," Chase recalled. "For [wife] Deborah and [son] Michael and [daughter] 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."

Gandolfini received three Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe for the iconic role in the HBO series.

Last night, HBO aired the "Where's Johnny?" episode in which " Vincent Curatola's Johnny Sack showed his disdain for Tony Soprano's latest solution to a power struggle. The broadcast was preceded by a message from the network which read, "HBO mourns the loss of James Gandolfini, a beloved member of the HBO family."

No further plans were announced for a marathon or other special airings of the series.

Photo courtesy of HBO



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