The Sopranos star James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano in the series, died suddenly on 19 June 2013 in Rome, Italy – keep reading to dive into the actor’s final hours
James Gandolfini shot to fame back in 1999 when The Sopranos first aired.
As larger than life Tony Soprano, James became a household name and the series is considered by many as the best TV show ever.
He won fans over with his epic portrayal and huge personality before his untimely death back in 2013.
Claims of a huge blowout meal ordered hours before his death have previously circulated along with reports that he was attending Alcoholics Anonymous before he died.
Read on to see what happened during James Gandolfini’s final hours.
Final Meal
The New York Post claimed that James sat down for one final blowout meal before his death and his order was astronomical.
The Sopranos star was in Rome at the time and sources said his meal included piles of fried food and a huge serving of alcohol.
One source spoke to the publication about Gandolfini’s lavish luncheon and detailed exactly what he ate.
They alleged that James consumed back-to-back orders of fried king prawns with mayonnaise and chilli sauce and a “large portion” of foie gras, with four rum shots, two beers and two piña coladas to wash it all down.
A source also said: “Everything Gandolfini ordered was fried. Obviously that’s going to cause problems with your heart.”
However, James’ family have “categorically denied” that he ate such an abundance of food and alcohol that night.
The family’s spokesperson Michael Kobold addressed the allegations at a press conference.
He said: “It’s nonsense. There was nothing out of the ordinary [in the report]. No substance abuse, none of that. Jim was happy, he was healthy, he was doing really fine.”
Kobold also added that James had eaten some of the food and the piña coladas were alcohol free for his son Michael.
Death
James’ waiter Andrei Burca spoke of that night and said the actor “had a big smile, a big laugh and looked happy”.
A fellow holidaymaker, Blake Khan, snapped a picture of the iconic actor as he ate with his son, all smiles as they enjoyed their food.
However, just 24 hours later James was found by his son Michael as he suffered a heart attack in their hotel bathroom.
According to reports, doctors battled for a brutal 40 minutes but sadly he could not be saved.
Gandolfini was later pronounced dead.
Emergency room chief Claudio Modini said that “resuscitation manoeuvres including heart massages” lasted 40 minutes but they “saw no electric activity from the heart”.
James was considered dead on arrival to the hospital.
Autopsy
After Gandolfini’s death, the spokesperson for his family came forward and addressed the autopsy.
Michael Kobold announced that James “died of a heart attack of natural causes” and that “nothing else was found in his system”.
The speaker continued on: “James came [to Rome] on vacation with family. On Wednesday he went to visit the Vatican and had dinner at the hotel with his son while waiting for his sister…all are devastated for his loss. He was a loving father.”
Addictions
According to The New York Post, James had been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings before his death.
A source even told them: “I can confirm he has been known to blow lines and drink like an Irish sailor on weekend leave.”
Sadly, Gandolfini struggled with addiction for many years before he died in 2013.
It first came to light way back in 2002 when his first wife, Marcy Wudarski, accused him of binge drinking and going on long benders.
She also alleged that the actor was doing cocaine with his Sopranos co-stars and having sex with other women.
