Caffeinated Clint
I’m as stunned as a roo in a commodore’s high-beams.. so much so I’m unable to scrawl much of an obit at the moment. If you haven’t heard, actor James Gandolfini, best known for his portrayal as Tony Soprano on HBO’s “The Sopranos” – but also remembered fondly for his array of film roles, particularly in the ’90s – has sadly passed away aged 51.
Reports say Gandolfini was in Italy when he suffered a heart attack. TMZ say he was there to attend the 59th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.
Gandolfini was terrific on “The Sopranos”, and it’s undeniably the high point of his career and CV, but I’ll also remember him for his great character turns in so many ’90s actioners like “True Romance”, “Get Shorty”, “Terminal Velocity” and “Crimson Tide”. He was a staple of so many of those popcorn actioners, if only because they all required a charming bear of a bad guy – and he was the best at that. In later years, Gandolfini appeared in high-profile flicks like “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”, “Zero Dark Thirty”, and “Welcome to the Rileys. He was expected to reunite with HBO on an event series called “Criminal Justice”.
HBO released the following statement : ”We’re all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family. He was special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect. He touched so many of us over the years with his humor, his warmth and his humility. Our hearts go out to his wife and children during this terrible time. He will be deeply missed by all of us.”
Man, I’m just in a total state of shock. So young, such a talent. This one stings like an electric current to the nether regions.
Stuck for words, let’s just go to the video :
