Sopranos Star James Gandolfini Dead at 51

By Emily Stone

Actor James Gandolfini, best known for his role as larger-than-life New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack in Rome. He was 51.

Gandolfini, a New Jersey native who attended Rutgers, was in Italy for the Taormina Film Festival, at which he was expected to make an appearance during the closing gala on Saturday.

• In tribute to Gandolfini, the owners of the Bloomfield, NJ ice cream parlor and restaurant on Wednesday night reserved the booth where the last scene of the HBO series was shot.

• North Caldwell, NJ Police Chief Mark Deuer, who met Gandolfini while working security on the Sopranos set, said the actor would often join police officers for lunch. Fans gathered outside the North Caldwell cul-de-sac that the HBO mob boss called home after learning of his death.

• We are Patching you through to Westwood-Hillsdale Patch in New Jersey, where Patch editors are following this story as it unfolds.

Were you a Sopranos fan? What were your favorite moments watching Tony Soprano? Share your memories of Gandolfini and the show in the comments section below.