A family friend has confirmed thatJames Gandolfini died at age 51 of a heart attack in Italy. “James came here on a vacation with his family…he had a wonderful day,” the statement reads, adding that he had visited The Vatican and dined with his teenage son, Michael, at his hotel in Rome Wednesday evening. Michael found the 51-year-old Sopranos’ actor in distress in his hotel bathroom that night and called the front desk for help, according to officials. The hotel staff immediately called an ambulance. Gandolfini was rushed to the hospital alive, but in cardiac arrest and pronounced dead 40 minutes after his arrival after resuscitation attempts failed. The family said that Gandolfini had no history of heart problems. A funeral service for the late actor is scheduled in New York next week.
