The Final Days Of James Gandolfini Showed No Sign Of Trouble

The news of Sopranos actor James Gandolfini’s death came suddenly and unexpectedly this week. They were made even more surprising by the fact that the last news of the revered actor before the announcement of his death was that Gandolfini was happy, healthy and enjoying a father/son holiday in Rome with his 13-year-old boy, according to the New York Daily News. Some photos have even been snapped of the actor enjoying a meal in Rome’s Piazza Santa Maria. The photo was snapped by a nearby American tourist on Tuesday and shows Gandolfini enjoying his el fresco dinner, while tourists stroll past in the background.

Just five days earlier, Gandolfini was excitedly planning the vacation to celebrate his son’s eighth-grade graduation. At the graduation party, Gandolfini “was amazing as usual,” Marini told the Daily News. “He seemed very healthy to me — walking around, laughing, smiling, showing his little baby girl to everybody.” That appearance continued throughout the trip, until he collapsed and died in a matter of hours on Wednesday night. He was found by his son and, despite the fast reaction and the paramedics’ efforts, he was pronounced dead on arrival. An autopsy, aimed at determining whether Gandolfini’s sudden passing has anything to do with his party habits from the past, is still pending.

Meanwhile, Gandolfini’s fans and colleagues have been flocking to express their grief and give their condolences. Edie Falco, who played the suburban wife of Gandolfini’s character on the Sopranos, had this to say about him: “My heart goes out to his family, as those of us in his pretend one hold on to the memories of our intense and beautiful time together.”

He took time away from acting to spend with his family.