James Gandolfini, known to all as Italian mob leader Tony Soprano from the hit HBO series "The Sopranos", died in Italy on Wednesday, June 19.
Gandolfini was reportedly on a vacation in Rome when he met his untimely death, confirmed HBO's vice president for program publicity Mara Mikialian to CNN. The actor was expected to grace the Taormina Film Fest in Sicily this week.
The cause of his death has not yet been formally announced. However, CNN says an HBO press representative pointed to heart attack, while the New York Time said the cause was stroke.
While the actor's death was untimely, many entertainment personalities were quick to voice out their sadness for the passing.
HBO immediately released a statement, saying "He was special man, a great talent, but more important, a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect."
"He was just so good at the emotion. A very passionate man and a very, very tender man," said Matthew Warchus, director of the Broadway play "God of Carnage" where Gandolfini was a part of. "I really loved him and admired him a great deal," he added.
Olivia Wilde, who worked with Gandolfini in "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," tweeted "James Gandolfini was a kind, funny, wonderful guy. I'm so lucky to have worked with him. Sending love to his family. Such a sad, sad day."
With the sudden death of the actor, now a number of signed projects are left hanging. CBS signed a contract with Gandolfini early in June to be executive producer for a TV adaptation of the Canadian comedy "Taxi-22." The TV station did not comment on how the actor's death would affect the new show, says The Hollywood Reporter.
It was also noted that two months ago, "Criminal Justice" was passed as a mini-series with seven hour-long episodes. Gandolfini had already agreed to star as Jack Stone, a jailhouse lawyer frequenting police stations for clients. The drama was set to premiere in September. An HBO representative said that it was still very early to know whether the mini-series would push through or not.
Other projects HBO had been planning to involve Gandolfini include "Eating With the Enemy: How I Waged Peace with North Korea From My BBQ Shack in Hackensack" based on Robert Egan and Kurt Pitzer's book of the same title; "Big Dead Place," an adaptation of a memoir written by Nicholas Johnson.
The Emmy Award-winning actor left his wife, Deborah Lin; Liliana, their daughter born just last year; and Michael, his son with ex-wife Marcella Wudarski.