Beloved actor James Gandolfini, perhaps best known for his role as Tony Soprano in HBO's multi-award winning TV series
The Sopranos, has died unexpectedly at aged 51. Gandolfini, who spent much of his career playing tough crime and Mafia associated characters, reportedly suffered a heart attack whilst holidaying in Italy earlier today. "Everyone is in tears," a source close to the actor revealed. Gandolfini won three Emmys for his work on
The Sopranos, and recently featured as a CIA boss in Kathryn Bigelow's
Zero Dark Thirty. Personally speaking, this comes as hugely tragic and wholly unexpected news, given how young Gandolfini was at the time of his death. I've been a huge fan of Gandolfini since first glimpsing him as hitman Virgil in Tony Scott's
True Romance, and his performance as Tony Soprano will undoubtably go down as one of the greatest in television history.
The Sopranos, which is often hailed as one of the all-time best television dramas, would likely never have been so successful without such a fine actor leading proceedings. As a huge and dedicated fan of his work, it's heartbreaking to know that he died so suddenly and without warning. I'm truly lost for words.
Stay tuned as we update the site with our own Gandolfini tributes and memoirs. It's a sad day for Hollywood, television history, and for this wonderful actor's friends, family and fans all over the world. We've lost a truly great and undeniably iconic actor. Rest in peace, James Gandolfini - they'll certainly be no replacing you. He is survived by wife Deborah Lin and his two children, Michael and Liliana Ruth.