Brad Pitt, Russell Crowe and John Travolta have all paid tribute to the late star of The Sopranos
Hollywood's A-list continued to pay tribute to the late James Gandolfini last night, following his shocking death whilst on holiday in Italy on Wednesday.
Film co-stars who worked with the actor, most famous for his role as mafia boss Tony Soprano on the smash hit TV series The Sopranos, have called the New Jersey-born star a 'ferocious actor' and a 'lovely man'.
Brad Pitt, who starred alongside him in the 1993 film True Romance, 2001's The Mexican and last year's Killing Them Softly, released a statement following James' death from a suspected heart attack at the age of 51.
He said: 'I admire Jimmy as a ferocious actor, a gentle soul and a genuinely funny man. I am fortunate to have sat across the table from him and am gutted by this loss. I wish his family strength and some semblance of peace.'
Russell Crowe commented on the news via his Twitter page, he tweeted: 'Sad to hear about James Gandolfini. First met Jimmy back in '94. He was roommates in NY with Lennie Loftin. Lovely man. RIP Jimmy.'
While actor Bryan Cranston, who is most famous for his role as chemistry teacher-turned-crystal meth gangster Walter White in the TV smash hit Breaking Bad, added: 'I'm saddened by James Gandolfini's passing. He was a great talent and I owe him. Quite simply, without Tony Soprano there is no Walter White.'
Close friend John Travolta, who was comforted by the Sopranos star after the death of his son Jett in 2009, also revealed that he would support the Gandolfini family in return. He said: 'James went out of his way to come to Florida and he would not leave Florida until I was OK or he felt that I would be fine. The idea that in our profession someone would go out of their way and not want to leave you until he felt you were OK, that's the kind of soul that James Gandolfini was.'
He added: 'My goal is to make sure that his family is OK. His little boy, I watched him grow up and his brand new little girl. We'll just make sure they're taken care of. That's the whole idea.'
Comedy actor Steve Carell called James 'a fine man', Robin Williams described him as an 'extraordinary actor', while Michael J. Fox said he was 'shocked and saddened' by his passing and Samuel L. Jackson tweeted: 'Massive blow to the acting community today. The passing of James Gandolfini. So talented. My heart goes out to his family!'
The outpouring of tributes for the acclaimed actor from Hollywood's elite follows similar statements from his co-stars from the HBO hit The Sopranos. Edie Falco, who played his on-screen wife Carmela on the show, led the way and released a statement that said: 'He was a man of tremendous depth and sensitivity, with a kindness and generosity beyond words. I consider myself very lucky to have spent 10 years as his close colleague. My heart goes out to his family. As those of us in his pretend one hold on to the memories of our intense and beautiful time together. The love between Tony and Carmela was one of the greatest I've ever known.'
So sad. You will be truly missed James.
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