Actor James Gandolfini dead at 51

It's been confirmed by HBO that the man who played Tony Soprano has died.

James Gandolfini was in Italy when he was said to have suffered a fatal heart attack. A brief report posted earlier at Deadline.com claimed he was felled by a stroke. He was 51 years old.

Gandolfini was most recently seen in the films The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Zero Dark Thirty, although his role as a depressed, alcoholic hitman in the Brad Pitt vehicle Killing Them Softly, released in late 2012, proved to be one of his most affecting performances. Which is saying something.

Prior to that, James Gandolfini scored multiple Emmy nominations, three wins, and a Golden Globe for his role as the soulful but brutish New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano in the groundbreaking HBO series, The Sopranos.

Before that, he made a big impression in movies like True Romance and Get Shorty. In the latter, Gandolfini revealed the versatilty that would serve him well later down the line as a reluctant tough guy with a sentimental streak.

Gandolfini leaves behind a wife and two children.