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James Gandolfini’s funeral service is scheduled to take place at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, one of New York City’s largest churches.

The ceremony at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine is planned for 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 27.

It comes after a private wake for James Gandolfini on Wednesday in New Jersey.

James Gandolfini’s funeral service is scheduled to take place at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in NYC

James Gandolfini’s funeral service is scheduled to take place at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in NYC

The 51-year-old Sopranos star died of a heart attack last week while vacationing in Italy with his son Michael, wife Deborah Lin and their 8-month daughter.

Broadway theaters paid tribute by dimming their lights briefly Wednesday night.

James Gandolfini was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 as an actor in God of Carnage.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that James Gandolfini’s body departed Rome for the US on Sunday. Gandolfini family spokesman Michael Kobold earlier told reporters the “provisional plan” was to repatriate the actor’s body Monday.

James Gandolfini had been headed to Sicily to appear at the Taormina Film Festival, which paid tribute to him Saturday.

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Pictures of the Rome hotel room in which James Gandolfini spent his final moments have emerged.

In room 449 of the art deco Boscolo Exedra Roma hotel, a $671 per night suite overlooking the Piazza della Repubblica, James Gandolfini died June 19 of a massive heart attack at the age of 51.

Photos show the ornate marble bathroom in which the actor was found by his 13-year-old son Michael and where paramedics worked to save James Gandolfini before rushing him to Policlinico Umberto I hospital.

Celebrity chef Sandra Lee would later stay in the finely appointed room on Friday, until learning it was the very same in which James Gandolfini took ill.

When media learned that Sandra Lee had been so quickly placed in the suite, they pounced. Sources told the New York Post that Sandra Lee was “saddened” when she learned of the fourth floor room’s recent history.

Sandra Lee was in town with her sister and nieces. Room 449 was one of several she’d rented for their trip.

As Italian media began to swarm, Sandra Lee and company left after only one night.

James Gandolfini, who found fame playing a mafia boss was vacationing in Rome prior to the Taormina Film Festival, which he was slated to attend in Sicily over the weekend.

The actor was set to receive an award at the festival. He instead received a tribute on Saturday.

James Gandolfini and his son toured the Vatican prior to his death as they awaited the arrival of his sister.

Boscolo Exedra Roma hotel bathroom where James Gandolfini suffered a fatal heart attack

Boscolo Exedra Roma hotel bathroom where James Gandolfini suffered a fatal heart attack

Leta Gandolfini, one of the actor’s two older sisters who both live in New Jersey, appeared grief-last stricken last week as she arrived at the morgue flanked by security guards.

An autopsy on Friday confirmed James Gandolfini died of a heart attack and that there were no suspicious factors, such as alcohol, on his medical report.

He was taken by ambulance to the hospital around 10:40pm Wednesday night.

He was reportedly alive as six men removed him from the Hotel Exedra, but had entered cardiac arrest by the time he reached the hospital.

Doctors worked for over half an hour, trying to bring James Gandolfini back, but it was to no avail.

The alarm was first raised when the actor’s son Michael called the hotel’s front desk after finding his father in the bathroom.

The night before his death, James Gandolfini dined with Michael in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood.

His waiter Andrei Burca told the New York Post: “He had a big smile, a big laugh, and looked happy.”

But just 24 hours later, Michael Gandolfini found his father suffering from a heart attack in the bathroom of their hotel room. Doctors battled for 40 minutes to save him but he was later pronounced dead.

James Gandolfini’s body was initially slated to be flown to the U.S.by Wednesday or Thursday, and his funeral held in New York.

“In Italy, it can take up to 10 days to get all the necessary documents and paperwork to repatriate the body. We are looking forward to working with the Italian government and officials to shorten that process,” family friend and spokesman Michael Kobold originally said.

But, on Sunday, those plans appeared to accelerate.

That’s when Michael Kobold told reporters that the “provisional plan” is to depart Rome on Monday afternoon for the United States, several days earlier than anticipated. He did not specify which U.S. airport.

The Italian news agency ANSA later released photos of James Gandolfini’s body departing Rome.

The agency says the private plane took off at 6 p.m. Sunday. Its exact U.S. destination was unclear.

Family spokesman Michael Kobold had told reporters the “provisional plan” was to repatriate Gandolfini’s body Monday.

Michael Kobold thanked Italian and U.S. authorities, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, his predecessor Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton for helping with arrangements.

Deborah Lin, who had been married to James Gandolfini for five years, was spotted at a Los Angeles shopping mall buying clothes for their baby daughter before the funeral.

In his home state of New Jersey, flags will be flown at half-mast on state buildings on Monday, New Jersey governor Chris Christie said.

James Gandolfini rose to fame playing a hitman in the 1993 film True Romance, and roles in films such as Terminal Velocity and Get Shorty followed.

However, it was not until his breakout role in 1999 in the hit television show The Sopranos that he became a household name.

Since The Sopranos ended its six-season run in June 2007, James Gandolfini had appeared in a number of big-screen roles, including the crime drama Killing Them Softly and Zero Dark Thirty, a film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

James Gandolfini had been working on an upcoming HBO series, Criminal Justice, and had two films due out next year.

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Details about James Gandolfini’s final moments come as a photograph has emerged apparently showing the actor enjoying an evening out with his son Michael the night before his sudden death.

In what could be the last picture of the award-winning actor, James Gandolfini appeared at ease and in good health as he ate dinner at the Sabatini Restaurant with his son Michael, according to fellow holidaymaker Blake Kahn, who took the photo.

James Gandolfini pictured having family meal night before fatal heart attack

James Gandolfini pictured having family meal night before fatal heart attack

Another member of Blake Kahn’s group, Dee Duncan of Roswell, Georgia, added that James Gandolfini looked as if he was enjoying the “magical atmosphere” as jugglers and magicians performed in the square.

Blake Kahn, from Atlanta, Georgia, later shared the images with 11Alive.

James Gandolfini was on vacation in Rome with Michael, wife Deborah and their nine-month-old daughter Liliana to “reconnect with his Italian roots” before the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.

James Gandolfini’s Sopranos colleagues have led tributes from the showbiz world, with the show’s creator David Chase who compared him to Mozart, praising him as “one of the greatest actors of this or any time”.

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James Gandolfini died last night after he was discovered having a heart attack in his hotel bathroom in Rome by his teenage son, Michael, it emerged today.

James Gandolfini was on vacation in Rome with Michael, 13, as well as his wife Deborah and baby daughter Liliana, nine months, and had apparently been hoping to “reconnect with his Italian roots” before attending the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.

After a day out with the family, James Gandolfini, 51, had a heart attack in his bathroom at the Hotel Boscolo and was found by Michael, who raised the alarm and called the hotel reception, according to the hotel manager.

His Sopranos colleagues have led tributes from the showbiz world, with the show’s creator David Chase who compared him to Mozart, praising him as “one of the greatest actors of this or any time”.

When paramedics arrived to take James Gandolfini to hospital, they found him lying on the bathroom floor, according to hotel owner Antonio D’amore.

James Gandolfini was taken to Policlinico Umberto I at 10.20 p.m., and was pronounced dead at 11 p.m. when efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful, according to Dr. Claudio Modini, head of the hospital’s emergency room.

An autopsy on his body will take place today, as is required by Italian law.

James Gandolfini died last night after he was discovered having a heart attack in his hotel bathroom in Rome by his teenage son, Michael

James Gandolfini died last night after he was discovered having a heart attack in his hotel bathroom in Rome by his teenage son, Michael

Mario Sesti, director of the film festival which the star was due to attend this weekend, claimed that James Gandolfini was excited by his Italian vacation because of his family’s link to the country.

“He was so happy to be in Italy, to reconnect with his Italian roots, and he was very excited to come here and receive this award,” Mario Sesti told USA Today.

James Gandolfini was born and brought up in New Jersey, but both his parents were Italian.

The Taormini Film Festival will host a tribute to the actor in place of a round-table discussion which James Gandolfini had agreed to take part in.

James Gandolfini and his family had spent a “beautiful day out together” in Rome before his tragic passing, according to the actor’s assistant, Tom Richardson.

According to Mike Sullivan, a close friend of James Gandolfini’s, Tom Richardson told him: “When they got back to the hotel, Jimmy went to use the restroom. And something happened in there.

“His sister said he was alive when they took him out in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.”

James Gandolfini’s first wife Marcy Wudarski, Michael’s mother, is said to have immediately booked a flight to Italy to comfort her son after learning of the actor’s death.

Marcy Wudarski and James Gandolfini were married for three years until they divorced in 2002.

James Gandolfini’s second wife, former model Deborah Lin, was with the star in Italy along with their daughter Liliana.

Deborah Lin and James Gandolfini married in Hawaii in 2008, and Liliana was born last October. After his daughter’s birth, James Gandolfini said he was “thrilled” to become a father for the second time.

James Gandolfini rose to fame playing a hitman in the 1993 film True Romance, and roles in films such as Terminal Velocity and Get Shorty followed.

However, it was not until his breakout role in 1999 in the hit television show The Sopranos that he became a household name.

James Gandolfini played the powerful mob boss Tony Soprano, whose stressful gangster and family life left him needing to visit a psychiatrist, played by Lorraine Bracco.

His compelling portrayal of the ruthless mob boss who suffered from panic attacks saw him win three Emmy Awards for the role.

The character apparently died in the series finale, although the audience was never shown the moment of his death, with the screen just fading to black instead.

Speaking to Vanity Fair about the ending, James Gandolfini said: “What the f***? I mean, after all I went through, all this death, and then it’s over like that?”

James Gandolfini’s managers Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders paid tribute to the star, saying in a statement: “Our hearts are shattered and we will miss him deeply. He and his family were part of our family for many years and we are all grieving.”

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Actor James Gandolfini, best known for his role as a therapy-seeking mob boss in The Sopranos, has died at the age of 51.

James Gandolfini suffered a possible heart attack while on holiday in Rome, said HBO TV network.

The New Jersey-born star had been in Italy to attend the Taormina film festival in Sicily.

James Gandolfini won three Emmy awards for his role as Tony Soprano, a mafia boss juggling his criminal career and family life.

“It is with immense sorrow that we report our client James Gandolfini passed away today while on holiday in Rome, Italy,” said his managers, Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders, in a statement on Wednesday night.

“Our hearts are shattered and we will miss him deeply.”

HBO also said the star of The Sopranos, which ran for six series on the cable channel from 1999-2007, would be “deeply missed”.

“He was a special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect,” said its statement.

“He touched so many of us over the years with his humor, his warmth and his humility.”

James Gandolfini suffered a possible heart attack while on holiday in Rome

James Gandolfini suffered a possible heart attack while on holiday in Rome (Photo: Getty Images)

James Gandolfini was born in 1961 in Westwood, New Jersey, to a school dinner lady and a bricklayer-turned-school caretaker, both of Italian background.

He graduated with a degree in communications from New Jersey’s Rutgers University.

Then he moved to New York, finding work as a bartender and a club manager.

James Gandolfini’s acting career took off in 1992 when he landed a part in a Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

His breakthrough role came a year later playing a mobster in the movie True Romance.

James Gandolfini’s more recent film credits included In The Loop, Zero Dark Thirty and Killing Them Softly.

He was nominated for a Tony theatre award in 2009 for his role in the Broadway hit God of Carnage.

James Gandolfini is survived by his second wife, Deborah Lin, a former model from Hawaii, whom he married in 2008, and their daughter, Liliana, born last year.

He also leaves a teenage son, Michael, from his first marriage to Marcy Wudarski, his former personal assistant. They wed in 1999 and split three years later.

The Sopranos creator David Chase said James Gandolfini was a “genius”.

“He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time,” he said.

“A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes.”

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