Gandolfini Spokesman Confirms Cause Of Death Was Heart Attack, HBO Pays Tribute With Video

Most of us are probably still reeling over the news that actor James Gandolfini died in Italy earlier this week. At 51 years old, it's unlikely anyone could have expected this, and given the actor's contributions to film and television, his death is a great loss to the industry. The latest update on the situation confirms that Gandolfini died of a heart attack, of natural causes.

Deadline shared the statement issued by Michael Kobold, a spokesperson for the Gandolfini family, which explains that the actor was in Rome the day he died, on vacation with his family. On the day of his death, he visited the Vatican and later had dinner at the hotel with his son, who was awaiting the arrival of his sister. The statement says he had a wonderful day, which may be of some comfort to his family, friends and loved ones in their time of grief, though they are all likely devastated by his loss.

James came here on a vacation with his family… he had a wonderful day. He visited The Vatican and had dinner at the hotel with his son awaiting the arrival of his sister. Today we received the results of the autopsy, which stated he died of a heart attack, of natural causes. The autopsy further states that nothing else was found in his system.We are all devastated by this loss. James was a devoted husband, a loving father of two children, a brother and cousin you could always count on. We thank you for the privacy you have afforded us during this difficult time.

Th autopsy confirms that the cause of death was a heart attack, and that there was nothing else found in his system. That confirms initial reports of the actor's death, which suggested a heart attack was the cause, but could not confirm anything. It's truly sad news, and everything we've read so far suggests this was sudden and not something anyone saw coming. The shock of the whole situation may take a while to adjust to. In the meantime, those of us who only knew him through the screen will mourn his absence. And our thoughts go out to his friends and family in their time of loss.

Katey took a look back at some of Gandolfini's most memorable movie moments, and then, of course, there's The Sopranos. The role of Tony Soprano put Gandolfini on the map, taking him from character actor to leading male and one of modern TV's most iconic characters, not to mention an excellently memorable antihero.

HBO was one of the official sources to confirm the actor's death earlier this week, and the premium cable network has since shared this brief tribute to the actor, which reminds of of Gandolfini's Tony Soprano years. Watch it below:

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.