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A heartless thief ripped off James Gandolfini’s prized Rolex immediately after the actor’s shocking death this summer in Rome.
The “Sopranos” star’s $3,000 timepiece was swiped from his hotel room within hours of his collapsing and dying on June 19, family reps told the celebrity Web site TMZ yesterday.
Gandolfini’s reps put in an insurance claim for the watch, though papers did not list a suspect in the thievery.
But it was implied that the opportunistic thief made off with Gandolfini’s Rolex Submariner in the pandemonium that erupted inside his Boscolo Exedra hotel room, after the unresponsive actor was discovered.
The beloved 51-year-old New Jersey native was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy found the actor died of a heart attack. He was survived by wife Deborah Lin, ex-wife Marcy Wudarski and two kids.
A Manhattan judge recently appointed a lawyer for Gandolfini’s children to protect their interests in his $70 million estate.
Surrogate’s Court Justice Nora Anderson named Staten Island lawyer Anthony Lamberti to represent 13-year-old Michael and 9-month-old Liliana Ruth.
When Gandolfini died, he left behind a handful of un-screened works that have been trickling out since June 19.
Gandolini’s “Enough Said” is set for release Sept. 20, and a trailer for the romantic comedy came out yesterday.
He plays the boyfriend of a fellow divorcee played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Gandolfini has previous comedy credits in “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” and “In the Loop.”
He has at least one more film in the can. The crime drama “Animal Rescue” is set to hit big screens next year.