I only recently joined this forum and this is actually my first post. I just finished watching the Sopranos last November and it was quite possibly the greatest piece of cinematic artwork I had ever seen. I was a bit young to experience the Sopranos when it originally aired but I'm glad I eventually did watch through. When I heard the news about the death of James Gandolfini I felt saddened and I thought this was odd. I am not the type to care about or concern myself with actors and actresses in Hollywood and their personal lives and for this reason i felt a little strange caring about this mans death. James was able to perfectly capture the character of Tony Soprano and in a weird way the character, and what James appeared to be in real life, reminded me of my father. Tough on the outside with an angry demeanor but a soft and gentle man on the inside. I will definitely be rewatching the Sopranos in the very near future to relive the fantastic acting of Gandolfini and the character he portrayed that I grew to love.

FlyOnMelfisWall wrote: I'm gonna track down that movie too..

I think you should asap. Such a cathartic movie to experience on a night like this. I'll save a review of a "Not Fade Away" for a proper thread. But, obviously, it resonated deeply with me.

The Chase/Gandolfini team ended on a very high note. Bravo.

FlyOnMelfisWall wrote:One of the poignant dimensions of this is the fact that so many who haven't been to the forum in years have come by just to experience a shared moment of grief. Even though saddened by the reason, I'm so glad for that. It reminds me of the "golden days" of the forum when there was such excitement at sharing opinions, perspectives, and analyses after a new episode of the show aired.

It also reminds me of how great art creates community, how one fictional character can become the screen on which all kinds of projections can be made and all kinds of personal crucibles stimulated, consciously or unconsciously. As far as I know, none of us knew James G. personally, but we all knew very intimately and very personally his creative outpouring and the core aspects of himself that he courageously displayed to the public in service of an immortal dramatic and psychological study of one very flawed but still lovable human being. That's an amazing gift to offer to the world.

Is it odd i am watching The Sopranos and crying? I think James' death triggers deep sadness for me because my father is in a nursing home and it is my father that got me interested in the mob hence my admiration for The Sopranos. I shouldn't have such an emotional reaction but I can't help it.

Another member here who hasn't posted in a while but had to come by today and bid a fond farewell to the man. It doesn't really cheer me up, but I do feel some sort of uplift from the outpouring of well-wishes and tributes, here and all over the internet/television. Clearly a well-liked and widely respected person. I'll miss him a lot.

I knew you'd be by, jouster. And I'm sure there are a number of others who'll pop in in the next few days.

Don't want to jam up the thread with more individual replies, but I'll just say that it means a lot to me to read everyone else's reactions and feelings and to see in them reflections of my own.

Wow! Just wow! I heard it was a hoax at first and then...very sad.

It still feels surreal to me. I dont know why, its just so hard to accept that he is gone..

For some reason I am feeling a strange sense of loss that he's died.
I never really get upset when I hear famous actors or people dying but I am now for some reason.
Maybe it's because I grew up watching the Sopranos and have watched Gandolfini on the screen for so long and over so many years that's there was a strong connection there.

As David Chase said it's hard to explain.

Punch to the gut. Only way I can describe this news.

Detective Hunt wrote:Wow! Just wow! I heard it was a hoax at first and then...very sad.

Ditto. There actually was a hoax, a few years ago (If memory serves, I posted a concerned thread here before it was revealed fake). So that's the first place my mind went when my dad texted me last night. Couldn't believe it when I finally made it to Google News for confirmation.