The Sopranos: 10 Best Minor Characters
8. Jackie Aprile Sr
Jackie Aprile Sr was the leader of the DiMeo crime family at the beginning of the series, and his death was the catalyst for the power struggle that engulfed the rest of the show between Tony and Junior.
His friendship with both Tony and Sil was bonded by the fires of childhood and the three of them remained friends until Jackie died of stomach cancer early in the show.
It was one of Tony's last promises to Jackie that he would keep his son, Jackie Jr, out of the family and make sure that his life was a better one than the ones that they had. For his small-time in the show, Jackie Aprile was shown to be a respected and fair leader of the family who knew that Tony was the only one who could take over the job.
His funeral and the sight of the FBI agents watching them all gathered to pay their final respects to Jackie was one of the shows early and greatest scenes. As we finally understood just how delicate the whole crime family was with law enforcement waiting at every wrong turn.