James Gandolfini autopsy confirms heart attack killed 'Sopranos' star. The Emmy-award winner and HBO star died of a heart attack while in Rome with his 13-year-old son. Family hopes to bring Gandolfini's body home by Wednesday with a funeral to follow by Saturday.
An autopsy found a massive heart attack felled actor James Gandolfini, whose body showed no signs of lethal drug or alcohol abuse, a family friend said Friday.
An autopsy found a massive heart attack felled actor James Gandolfini, whose body showed no signs of lethal drug or alcohol abuse, a family friend said Friday.
The results were made public as loved ones angrily denounced published reports that the hulking star of “The Sopranos” binged on booze and food at a dinner shortly before his shocking death.
Gandolfini, a Jersey guy from birth, will return to the United States next week for a public funeral service to be held in either New York City or the Garden State, according to friend Michael Kobold.
“We can’t have a private funeral with something this big,” said Kobold, referring to Gandolfini fans stretching from Newark to Naples.
“We will have some heavy lifting to do next week,” he added. “Hopefully he will be home Wednesday, maybe Thursday.”
The TV/movie star’s family worked Friday with Italian officials to cut through paperwork required to get the actor’s remains shipped back to the city as soon as possible.
Gandolfini’s body was released Friday to an Italian funeral home, with family and friends hoping for a service no later than June 29. His sister, Leta, went to a hospital morgue Friday to formally identify the body.
The shaken sibling, still looking stunned, returned about 11 p.m. local time Friday to the hotel where her brother died. A security guard was posted outside her room.
Gandolfini, 51, passed away suddenly Wednesday night after going into cardiac arrest in his Rome hotel room at the onset of a vacation with his 13-year-old son Michael.
“There’s nothing out of the ordinary,” Kobold said of the autopsy results. “It was a heart attack. It was a natural cause. There was no foul play, no substance abuse. None of that.”
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