Gandolfini Remembered Statewide as Quintessential 'Jersey Guy'

This story was written by Jim Leggate, Noah Cohen, Adam Bulger, John Saccenti, Christina Johnson, Mike D'Onofrio, and Zak Koeske

To fans of "The Sopranos," James Gandolfini was a violent yet complex mob boss who embodied the image of a Jersey tough guy.

But to residents in his native Garden State, the late actor was remembered Thursday as the star of his high school musical, a proud Rutgers alumnus and a down-to-earth "nice guy" who was generous with his time.

"He didn't act like a celebrity around here," said Mike Meidanis, owner of the Ridge Diner in Park Ridge, who remembered Gandolfini as a family man who frequently stopped in at his diner with his parents and sisters. "He loved his family.”

Gandolfini, born in Westwood, graduated Park Ridge High School in 1979, where his first acting roles came in high school productions of "Arsenic and Old Lace" and "Kiss Me Kate."

After high school, Gandolfini headed to Rutgers, where he graduated four years later with a bachelor’s degree in communications and embarked on a career in the world of bar and nightclub management. He found work in New Brunswick as a bouncer, bartender and manager at a club formerly known as Ryan’s, but left the bar scene behind and returned to the stage in his mid 20s after taking an acting class taught by a Rutgers alumnus.

Even after leaving New Brunswick and gaining widespread fame for his portrayal of mob scion Tony Soprano, Gandolfini remained a proud and active supporter of his alma mater, which inducted him into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2004, according to the university’s website. A devoted Rutgers football fan, Gandolfini attended Scarlet Knights games, appeared in commercials for the team and in 2006 is reported to have waited in line with his son to get an autograph from then-Scarlet Knights quarterback Mike Teel, whose parents sat in front of him at home games.

Former Rutgers running back Brian Leonard and head coach Greg Schiano took to Twitter Thursday to share their memories of Gandolfini.

“He was a great supporter of Rutgers Football long before it was fashionable to be so," Schiano, a Wyckoff native and the current head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said via Twitter. "His generosity in helping us lent relevance to our football program at a time when it was desperately needed. In addition to his acting acclaim, he will be remembered by all Rutgers people as a compassionate alumni and a great New Jerseyian."

Gandolfini died Wednesday in Italy where he was set to appear at a film festival in Sicily. An initial cause of death was believed to be cardiac arrest, but officials in Italy were set to conduct an autopsy Thursday on the Sopranos star, CNN reported. 

Claudio Modini, head of the emergency department at Rome’s Policlinic Umberto I hospital where Gandolfini was taken, told the Associated Press the actor arrived at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday and was pronounced dead at 11 p.m. after efforts to revive him in the ambulance and hospital failed.

Gandolfini collapsed in his room at the Hotel Boscolo around 10 p.m. when his 13-year-old son Michael summoned help, NBC News reported, citing hotel director Antonio D'amore. Hotel staffers rushed to the room and found Gandolfini on the bathroom floor. The hospital was reportedly a three-minute drive from the actor’s hotel.

Modini described the apparent cause of death as “probably a natural cause of death, myocardial infarction,” according to CNN. Initial reports suggested there were no signs of drug or alcohol use, but a further investigation was needed.

Gandolfini was set to receive the "Taormina City Prize" at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily, where organizers were working to organize a tribute for the star, FOXNews.com reported.

The organizers, Mario Sesti and Tiziana Rocca, said they spoke to Gandolfini only hours before he died and described him as “very happy to receive this prize and be able to travel to Italy," the AP reported.

Condolences continued to pour in Thursday from celebrities, friends and fans.

Edie Falco, who played Gandolfini’s TV wife Carmela, said she was devastated to learn of her longtime co-star’s death.

“I am shocked and devastated by Jim's passing,” Falco said in a statement released by Showtime. “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.”

Leon Panetta, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, remembered hearing from Gandolfini after he played the ex-spy chief in “Zero Dark Thirty.”

"James Gandolfini was a friend and a great actor. He wrote me after portraying me last year, which was a great thrill and honor. I told him I was glad an Italian played me -- swear words and all. We laughed together at the fact that tough guys can have a heart of gold. He did, and we will miss him," Panetta said in a statement to CNN. 

In the Jersey Shore community of Long Branch, where Gandolfini once filmed a Sopranos episode, the city's director of public safety said police officers thought well of Gandolfini.

"Even though Tony Soprano was on the other side of the law, all the cops loved the show," public safety director Jason Roebuck said. "James Gandolfini was a true Jersey guy."

Jim Vail, the president of Paramus Catholic High School in Gandolfini's native Bergen County, where Gandolfini's father, James Sr., worked as the school's director of facilities for 40 years, remembered the younger Gandolfini as regular guy who was generous and caring.

"He was totally unlike the character in the show," Vail said.

"Everybody loved him," added Paul Herdemian, the owner of The Jewelry Workbench in Park Ridge and maker of prop jewelry for "The Sopranos," who remembered Gandolfini as a generous man who supported the local Octoberwoman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.

"He always gave back," Herdemian said. "He was always that kind of guy."

Tewksbury Township General Store cook Adrian Kribs said Gandolfini, who moved to the area in 2009, was a regular at the small shop on Route 517, ordering everything from baloney sandwiches to egg white omelettes.

Gandolfini enjoyed the local fare so much, accoridng to Kribs, that he even struck a deal with the cook to circumvent the store's no breakfast after 11 a.m. policy.

"He told me if I made [eggs] after 11 a.m., he'd come back with a signed photo of himself," Kribs said with a smile.

Hours after the news of Gandolfini's death on Wednesday, fans took to the sprawling brick home on Aspen Drive in North Caldwell where Tony Soprano called home to pay their regards and take photos.

A bouquet of red carnations, two candles and a bag of ziti pasta were placed near the curb in front of the home Thursday, which garnered a steady stream of fans throughout the day.

Cheryl Carlson was one of the many fans who stopped by the home, located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. Accompanied by her son Cody and daughter Morgan, Carlson said the family was visiting from Maryland and in New Jersey for the first time. They had planned to stop at the house even before they heard of Gandolfini's death. 

"We are just spending two days touring around and ... one of the things we wanted to do was drive by and see the house," Carlson said. "And then he coincidentally died while we were up here, so it made us doubly want to come by the house." 

The North Caldwell home wasn't the only Sopranos relic swamped by fans Thursday.

Holsten’s, the Bloomfield ice cream parlor where the Sopranos' final "fade to black" scene was shot, was bombarded by camera crews and adoring fans, who came to pay their last respects.

The booth where the Soprano family shared onion rings and listened to Journey had a small sign reading "reserved."

Holsten's co-owner Chris Carley said he planned to let it go unoccupied for the next couple days in Gandolfini’s honor. By Thursday afternoon, the booth had grown into a mini-memorial with flowers and mementos of the late television and film star.

Carley, who was wearing a "Sopranos" shirt, said fans came to the restaurant throughout the day wanting to get a look at the booth. 

“People are paying their respects to Tony," he said.