The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini has died

James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano, has died at the age of 51

By Nicole Hamer |

12:22 20 June 2013

The actor James Gandolfini, who was Tony Soprano in the TV show The Sopranos, has sadly died aged 51.

The HBO TV show, which ran from the late 1990s for a number of series, was based on Tony – the Italian-American mob boss.

His agents confirmed the news of his death on Wednesday, 19th June, 2013. It is believed that he died in Rome of a suspected heart attack.

Gilles Marini took to the social network site Facebook to pay tribute to the star, saying: “I am heartbroken. My bud James Gandolfini just died.”

He made more posts, and also added that “it was an honour to have met this man”.

Mr. Gandolfini had a son called Michael from his previous marriage to Marcy Wudarski. He also leaves behind his wife Deborah Lin and their baby daughter Liliana Ruth.

The actor, who was born in New Jersey in 1961, also appeared in True Romance, Get Shorty and Where the Wild Things Are.

The Sopranos, which was created by David Chase, won a number of awards including Emmys and Golden Globes.