James Gandolfini was found by teenage son Michael in the hotel bathroom
James Gandolfini’s teenage son, Michael, found the actor collapsed in their Italy hotel room and called for help. The two were on a father-son trip to celebrate the boy’s graduation from eighth grade and the plans to attend a film festival.
The manager of the hotel in Rome where Gandolfini and his son were staying told the “Today” show the young boy found his father collapsed in the bathroom around 10 p.m. local time Wednesday.
The 51-year-old actor was still alive when the ambulance arrived, but was later pronounced dead at the Policlinico Umberto I, a hospital just a three-minute drive from the hotel.
Gandolfini arrived at the hospital in cardiac arrest, according to ABC News. Resuscitation efforts, which paramedics began in the ambulance, continued for 40 minutes, Prof. Claudio Modini, director of the Emergency Department of the Policlinico, told the network.
Gandolfini and his son were on a “guy’s trip,” according to TMZ. The getaway was for both pleasure and business. They were celebrating his son’s eighth grade graduation and the actor was set to attend the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.
Michael’s mother and the “Sopranos” star’s first wife, Marcy Wudarski, flew to Italy to be with her child, TMZ reported.
An autopsy will take place Friday to determine if the cardiac arrest resulted from a heart attack and if there were mitigating circumstances, ABC News notes. After the autopsy, his body will be brought back to the United States.
Gandolfini is survived by his wife, Deborah Lin, his 8-month old daughter, Liliana, and his son, Michael.
EVERYONE KNOWS ITALIANS LOVE TOMATOES; AND, THEY LOVE TOMATO-BASED CUISINE WITH SEAFOOD. [Americans are taught seafood is healthy; but, Americans are also taught tomato-based foods can lead to heart disease].
SINCE James- AND Michael Gandolfini WERE EN-ROUTE TO THE Taormina Film Festival IN SICILY, IT IS LOGICAL TO ASSUME Mr. Gandolfini IS FAMILIAR WITH POPULAR Taorminian dishes LIKE, “Zuppa di Pesce” – A TOMATO-BASED SOUP WITH SEAFOOD MEDLEY.
MY POINT IS, OVER TIME, THE CONTINUED CONSUMPTION OF TOMATO PRODUCTS [which are supposed to be bad for you], OLIVE OIL AND SEAFOOD CREATES A NEVER-ENDING “BACK-AND-FORTH” SITUATION FOR THE CARDIO-VASCULAR SYSTEM. IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS NO SURPRISE Mr. Gandolfini HAD A HEART-ATTACK.
CHRISTOPHER ALLEN HORTON