Los Angeles - He was the most powerful and panicked mafia boss a TV series has ever seen: American actor James Gandolfini died at the age of just 51. This was announced by a spokeswoman for the US station HBO. He probably had a heart attack. According to his management, Gandolfini died while vacationing in Rome.

With his role as Family Leader Tony in the mafia series "The Sopranos," Gandolfini gained worldwide cult status. The program ran for eight years, bringing three Emmys to the actor.

Colleagues and friends were shocked at the sudden death of the actor. "Sopranos" inventor David Chase described Gandolfini as a "genius" and "one of the greatest actors of our time and all time". "We've lost a giant today, my heart is completely broken," said Lorraine Bracco, Tony Soprano's psychiatrist. Melfi played.

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James Gandolfini: Mafia boss with panic attacks

Comedian Steve Carell spoke of an "incredibly sad message". Gandolfini was a "good man". His colleague Susan Sarandon called Gandolfini "one of the nicest, funniest, most generous actors I've ever worked with." And Bette Midler wrote on Twitter: "The great James Gandolfini died today, only 51 years old, I can not believe it."

Like his alter ego Tony, Gandolfini was born in the State of New Jersey. He began his career at New York theaters and played on Broadway in Endstation Sehnsucht. His first major feature film role in 1993 he had in the thriller "True Romance" after a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino. This was followed by appearances in "Snatch Shorty", "The 12 jurors", "The Mexican" and "The kidnapping of the subway Pelham 123". Most recently, he appeared in the Oscar-winning film Zero Dark Thirty.

Gandolfini leaves a wife and two children. The 51-year-old had been married to ex-model Deborah Lin for four years. Last October she gave birth to daughter Liliana. From a previous marriage, the actor also had a son.