The last photos taken of James Gandolfini show “The Sopranos” star dining in
Rome, apparently relaxed and enjoying the company of others at an al fresco
table.
The pictures were taken Tuesday night in the heart of the Eternal
City. Less than 24 hours later, Gandolfini was dead.
In one photo, snapped by an American tourist sitting at a nearby
table, the 51-year-old Gandolfini is dressed in a casual dark blue shirt,
enjoying an evening meal at the Sabatini restaurant off Rome’s Piazza Santa
Maria.
He appears to be eating a plate of the restaurant’s freshly made
gnocchi as tourists stroll the piazza admiring a historic fountain.
Just five days earlier, a seemingly healthy and happy Gandolfini
spoke excitedly about his upcoming father-son Italian vacation.
The Emmy-winning actor known worldwide for his role as Tony
Soprano was stoked last Friday at an eighth-grade graduation party for his
13-year-old son, Michael, said family friend Carole Marini.
Kahn said that Gandolfini looked happy and healthy, enjoying a
meal with his family. Mere hours later, Gandolfini had a massive, fatal heart
attack.
“There was no sign of trouble,” added Marini, wife of “Dancing
With the Stars” veteran Gilles Marini. “For us, it was a shock.”
After Gandolfini’s son found his dad in their room, doctors waged
a desperate 40-minute battle to revive the hulking star before declaring him
dead.
The extraordinary Wednesday night effort by medical teams in the
ambulance and emergency room included heart massage — but they couldn’t save
Gandolfini’s life.
“The patient was considered dead on arrival,” said Dr. Claudio
Modini, the emergency room chief.
An autopsy was planned to determine if the 260-pound actor’s bulk
or hard-partying past played any role in his sudden demise, as members of his
HBO family continued to lavish praise on his life and work.
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