WHAT ?? James Gandolfini dead at 51 ??

[NightWolve]

http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/r-i-p-james-gandolfini/

Actor James Gandolfini died suddenly after a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Rome to attend the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily. He was 51. Gandolfini will be forever known for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano on the seminal HBO series The Sopranos, which eventually won him 3 Emmy Awards and a $1,000,000-an-episode paycheck. Overweight, balding, rough around the edges with a thick New Jersey accent, Gandolfini was the opposite of a marquee leading man, destined to be a character actor. Yet he proved through his masterful acting that he could make Tony Soprano sexy and smart, towering and powerful. Chris Albrecht who greenlighted the crime family saga at HBO in 1999 and approved Gandolfini in the role, just emailed Deadline: "Absolutely stunned. I got the word from Lorraine Bracco and just got off with Brad Grey who had just heard from David Chase. We had all become a family. This is a tremendous loss." (Grey was the executive producer and Chase the creator of The Sopranos.) And Gandolfini's managers confirmed the actor's death. "It is with immense sorrow that we report our client James Gandolfini passed away today while on holiday in Rome, Italy,' said Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders. "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."

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Kinda surprising for a rather young guy, even if he wasn't a terribly fit dude.  Somewhat fitting lulz (perhaps he got his wish) from Inside the Actor's Studio:

Lipton: "If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say at the pearly gates?"
Gandolfini: "Take over for a while, I'll be right back."

[jlued686]

Yeah...this sucks. I loved that guy, both in and out of The Sopranos. He was in a film by David Chase recently called Not Fade Away. And while it wasn't the greatest movie, and he wasn't the lead, he made every scene he was in. And his voice performance in Where the Wild Things Are was outstanding.

Really gonna miss this guy...

[esteban]

I'll miss him, too.

His work on The Sopranos alone made him Worthy, IMHO.

[RoyVegas]

His work on The Sopranos alone made him Worthy, IMHO.

Although I've always heard good things about the show, I've never watched a full episode.   

[roflmao]

His work on The Sopranos alone made him Worthy, IMHO.

Although I've always heard good things about the show, I've never watched a full episode.   

Me either.

[HercTNT]

i heard he had the heart attack at a seafood resturant. He ordered lobster, it was served to him bound and gagged face down in a pool of butter.

[TR0N]

RIP to a great a actor.I was shocked and surprised,when i found out and yeah wasn't in the best of shape so who knows.There was talk of having a soprano's movie now 'that james has passed away there's no way of that happening