Was traveling in Italy when fell ill... no cause of death but they say it's likely stroke or heart attack.

Wow. Shocking

Very shocking!  Sad news!  RIP Gandolfini!  My dad loved The Sopranos and I had many found memories of that shows.  So sad.

-- Curt

Sad news! Huge fan of The Sopranos. R.I.P James!

My fondest memory of Gandolfini is his supporting role in True Romance. There's something really uniquely arresting about his showdown with Patricia Arquette, and that scene would never be the classic it is without him.

HBO has been re-running the Sopranos every night for months. Gandolfini was flawless in his role. They all were, but especially him.

RIP...

This is heart breaking. So sad. Extremely talented actor. Will be missed. RIP.

Absolutely dreadful news. He was an extremely talented actor and, from what I have read, a really good guy. This is a huge loss for the film and television world.

Quoted from Heretic My fondest memory of Gandolfini is his supporting role in True Romance. There's something really uniquely arresting about his showdown with Patricia Arquette, and that scene would never be the classic it is without him.

Mine as well.

A great actor. RIP

Mark

I remember James telling a story once. About a guy who pounded on his door late at night. He answered it in his robe. James flung the door open in anger and the guy outside said "Holy shit! Tony Soprano!" And ran off down the street.

Their are few actors who completely incapsulate their role like James did. He was intimidating. I'm sad I will not see his grace in future films.

James

Very sad news indeed. Talented actor with an amazing presence in all his work, regardless of how small his role was.

TV writer Ken Levine's blog talks about him today: http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2013/06/james-gandolfini-rip.html

Quoted from Heretic My fondest memory of Gandolfini is his supporting role in True Romance. There's something really uniquely arresting about his showdown with Patricia Arquette, and that scene would never be the classic it is without him.

Agree completely.  Long before basically anyone knew who he was, he gave a performance that would actually encapsulate his career, as a tough guy bad ass with a grin on his face and a glee in his eye.

Sad we lost his so soon, but I bet his poor physical condition came into play here.

R.I.P.

I LIKED him in ACTORS STUDIO very simple guy

This is a bummer indeed. Naturally, I concur with his performance in True Romance but running down his filmography, he's definitely shined in a lot of the films he's been in, even if they weren't exactly the greatest e.g. 8MM. Definitely a unique voice who'll most certainly be missed. R.I.P.