James Gandolfini Dead at 51

James Gandolfini, the New Jersey actor who delighted audiences as mob boss Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos” has died following a heart attack in Italy, where he was attending the Taormina Film Festival.

A press-shy celeb who got his start as a character actor and became famous relatively late in his career — thanks to his breakout role on “The Sopranos,”

Gandolfini has largely avoided the spotlight since the last season of the show aired in 2007.