I saw reports of this early today and with HBO confirming to the Star Ledger, it seems safe to post. Funeral is scheduled for Thursday, June 27th at 10 AM EST at the (non denominational) Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. Although early reports today indicated his body would be flown back Monday, this latest report tonight indicates it was already flown back today (Sunday).
I had the privilege of visiting St. John the Divine in 2000, and it's a very large and beautiful cathedral with a MASSIVE organ. I read somewhere that the funeral would be "public," which I take to mean that a good portion of its seating will be open to whoever would like to attend and gets there first, a perfect way to honor a man who did not believe in the class distinctions accompanying the fraternity of celebrity. I've no doubt that his close colleagues can (and should) have priority seating. But I think it's great if members of the general public who were deeply moved by his work can also attend to pay their respects without having to "know" someone. Perhaps there will even be cameras inside to allow for television or web broadcast. I hope so.
Gandolfini Funeral Set for Thursday at St. John the Divine
1Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"