Four days after his death in Rome, James Gandolfini has been returned to his home state of New Jersey. The actor’s body arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport on a Signature Airlines flight late Sunday night. The body was taken immediately to a New Jersey funeral home.
"On behalf of the Gandolfini family, I would like to thank the Italian authorities for all the assistance they have rendered in expediting the formalities necessary to repatriate James Gandolfini's remains to the United States,” Gandolfini’s spokesman Michael Kobold said in a statement Sunday morning. "We are fully aware that this process usually takes seven days, and we are extremely grateful for their efficiency in dealing with this matter. It has been our privilege to be guests in your beautiful country, despite the difficult circumstances. We sincerely thank you."
Gandolfini died of a heart attack Wednesday night after collapsing in his room at the Boscolo Exedra hotel. The Sopranos star was in Rome for a short vacation with family before he attended the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily this weekend. Gandolfini was 51-years-old. He is survived by his wife Deborah Lin, their 9-month-old daughter Liliana, and his 13-year-old son Michael from his previous marriage to Marcy Wudarski.
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