James Gandolfini and Edie Falco playing Tony and Carmela Soprano. Falco called Tony and Carmela’s love one of the “greatest” she had ever known when hearing about Gandolfini’s passing. (REUTERS)
Steven R. Schirripa, James Gandolfini, Dominic Chianese in “The Sopranos.” (Barry Wetcher)
James Gandolfini and Lorraine Bracco in “The Sopranos.” (ZUMAPRESS.com)
James Gandolfini and Frank Vincent. (
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BIG HEART: James Gandolfini attends an April 20 post-Sandy fund-raiser to benefit Breezy Point. (
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Tributes to the late James Gandolfini poured in from his “Sopranos” castmates and Hollywood stars as they learned of his sudden death in Italy yesterday.
“I am shocked and devastated by Jim’s passing. He was a man of tremendous depth and sensitivity, with a kindness and generosity beyond words. I consider myself very lucky to have spent 10 years as his close colleague. My heart goes out to his family,” Edie Falco, who played Carmela to James Gandolfini’s Tony told USA Today.
“The love between Tony and Carmela was one of the greatest I’ve ever known.”
“The guy was like a brother to me. He was a great actor, a great father and was a lot of laughs,” Steve Schirripa, who played Bobby Bacala on the hit series, told The Post.
Schirripa was so shaken by the news that he left the Yankee game to clear his head.
“This is devastating. When I say we were like family, this is very much like losing a family member,” he said, his voice shaking.
David Proval, who played Tony Soprano’s brother in-law Richie Aprile on the show, praised Gandolfini’s role as a leader on the set.
“I couldn’t have asked for any better actor or better gentleman to work with,” Proval told The Post. “His generosity was unmatched.
“He was always right there for me during the show. It was a head-spinning . . . experience for everyone, yet he always found the time for me and everyone on the cast.”
Proval played Janice Soprano’s short-lived husband before she offed him and recruited brother Tony to dump the body.
He said Gandolfini was the opposite of the ruthless mob boss he portrayed on TV.
“He was very protective,” Proval said. “We’d hear stories over the years about who was going next. He’d say, ‘Don’t worry, I’m here for you.’
And Lorraine Bracco, who played Tony Soprano’s shrink, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, said, “We lost a giant today. I am utterly heartbroken.”
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» ‘Sopranos’ star James Gandolfini dead of heart attack in Italy at 51
» ‘Sopranos’ castmates grieve loss of ‘head of family’ after Gandolfini’s death: ‘We lost a giant today. I am utterly heartbroken’
» ‘Reserved’: Gandolfini mourned at Holsten’s ice-cream parlor where last ‘Sopranos’ scene was shot
» Lou Lumenick on James Gandolfini’s Shakespearean grandeur: We won’t fuhgedd about this class act
» Lou Lumenick looks back on James Gandolfini in 2001 interview: ‘Right now, I’m just enjoying myself’
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Gandolfini’s on-screen rivals, too, had nothing but praise for him.
“We were enemies on screen, but pretty good friends off screen,” Frank Vincent, who played white-haired mobster Phil Leotardo on “The Sopranos,” told The Post.
“Jim was a loving guy who just enjoyed life. It’s a sad and tragic thing that’s happened. I feel bad for his family.
“He always had something to say — you know how the guys are. It was a men’s club and everybody had a good time all the time. Jimmy was the perfect choice for Tony Soprano.”
The Emmy-winning actor’s managers, in a statement confirming his death while vacationing in Rome, said their hearts were “shattered.”
“He and his family were part of our family for many years and we are all grieving,” Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders said.
HBO, the cable network responsible for skyrocketing Gandolfini to fame, called the actor “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,” HBO said in its statement. “He will be deeply missed by all of us.”
The star actor also was remembered for his talents as a mentor.
“When James Gandolfini was on ‘Inside the Actors Studio,’ our students discovered how thoughtful the real James was — and how knowledgeable and caring he was about the craft he practiced so effortlessly that it didn’t look like acting at all,” said James Lipton, host of the popular Bravo series.
“Like all of the finest actors, James convinced you that whatever you were seeing and hearing was just James being James, with no artifice or design.”
Fellow Hollywood A-listers joined in the mourning with statements praising the New Jersey native’s acting chops and down-to-earth personality.
“So sad to lose James Gandolfini,” Susan Sarandon posted. “One of the sweetest, funniest, most generous actors I’ve ever worked with. Sending prayers to his family.”
Schirripa last saw Gandolfini three weeks ago at the Los Angeles premiere of the Nickelodeon movie “Nicky Deuce.”
[View the story “Celebs, fans react to James Gandolfini’s death” on Storify]