James Gandolfini, star of the U.S. Emmy-winning series "The Sopranos," died of a heart attack, an autopsy confirmed on Friday, a hospital source
told Reuters.
The source, who asked not to be identified, said James Gandolfini's death late on Wednesday in a Rome hotel was the result of "natural causes, a heart attack," the autopsy revealed.
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James Gandolfini, 51, whose performance as Tony Soprano made him a household name and help usher in a new era of American television drama, was vacationing in Rome and had been scheduled to attend the closing of the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily on Saturday.
James Gandolfini's 13-year-old son, Michael, found him collapsed in the bathroom of his Rome hotel room, James Gandolfini's manager, Mark Armstrong, said in an email.
Doctors at the Italian capital's Umberto I hospital were due to announce James Gandolfini's autopsy findings later on Friday after officially informing the U.S. embassy and family members, the hospital source said.
Doctors tried to resuscitate James Gandolfini for 40 minutes when he arrived at the hospital before declaring him dead, Claudio Modini, the emergency room chief, told Reuters on Thursday.
Family members, friends, and fans of
James Gandolfini took to Facebook and Twitter to remember the actor and
share their favorite "Sopranos" scenes.
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