I don't think he was very healthy (heavy, smoked all the time, ate poorly) Still sad though as he was not that old...
I must admit I only started watching the show regularly after it went in to reruns and then I was hooked. Aside from the "no holes barred" language, it was quite unique in the way it was structured in that it was 1HR. and 15 minutes long(with commercials , of course)and at the end of each episode it just faded out and went to the credits. David Chase was a brilliant writer and although not everyone was thrilled with his approach to the final episode, it sure got everybody thinking.
For father's day, my son bought me the complete first two seasons of the show on DVD(only one season so far on Blu-Ray) and I was looking to get the rest, however, I would suspect now that he has suddenly passed away, there will more than likely be a run on them at Amazon. Very sad.
I really loved The Sopranos. I thought it was great television. So, Gandolfini's work made me happy. He was a good actor, and seemed like a kind, humble man. It seems like he squeezed an awful lot of out life, and did it on his terms. He was a union member. He produced documentaries on Iraq war veterans.
Here's a link to his
2002 appearance on Sesame Street.
"I have my nightlight and my teddy bear, and they make me feel better"