It has been an evening full of tributes to the late actor James Gandolfini, who passed away at the age of 51 on Wednesday (June 19) while on vacation in Italy.
The actor’s co-stars and co-workers from his beloved show The Sopranos are now speaking out on their friend’s shocking death.
“We lost a giant today. I am utterly heartbroken,” Lorraine Bracco, who played Dr. Jennifer Melfi, said.
“Jimmy was a dear friend and like a brother to me. He was a great actor and a great father. I will miss him terribly. I am very sad,” Steve Schirripa, who played Bobby ‘Bacala’ Baccalieri, tweeted.
“I have lost a brother and a best friend. The world has lost one of the greatest actors of all time. Maureen and I send our deepest sympathy and love to Deborah, Michael, Lily, and all of Jimmy’s family,” Steven Van Zandt, who played Silvio Dante, tweeted.
“He was a genius,” series creator David Chase said. “Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. I remember telling him many times, ‘You don’t get it. You’re like Mozart.” There would be silence at the other end of the phone. For [his wife Deborah Lin] and [children] Michael and Liliana this is crushing. And it’s bad for the rest of the world. He wasn’t easy sometimes. But he was my partner, he was my brother in ways I can’t explain and never will be able to explain.”
For reactions from HBO, celebrities, and James‘ managers, check out our previous post.
