It has been months since James Gandolfini died, but the beloved star of The Sopranos is still being remembered by his family, friends and co-stars as a father and an actor. On Sunday, Gandolfini’s family and members of the Sopranos cast gathered in Park Ridge, New Jersey to honor him again, this time with a street named after him.
Gandolfini grew up there and the town’s mayor, Terence Maguire, called him the “son of Park Ridge.” According to The Record, hundreds showed up for the ceremony, blocking traffic at the intersection. “We thought maybe we were going to get a mob,” Maguire joked. “It looks like we did.”
While community leaders recognized the actor’s generosity to his hometown, the most touching speech of the day came from his son, Michael , 14. “He just told me every story about every place here,” he said, noting how his father “definitely made a point of coming here.”
Gandolfini’s widow, Deborah Lin, also attended the ceremony, as did Sopranos actors Steve Schirripa, Vincent Curatola, Tony Sirico, Dominic Chianese, Vincent Pastore and John Ventimiglia.
According to News 12 New Jersey, officials picked the Park Avenue and Kinderkamack Road intersection to rename as “James Gandolfini Way.”
Gandolfini died in Rome on a trip with Michael in June. He was 51-years-old. The actor, who stars in the current indie hit Enough Said, was also be honored posthumously at the Gotham Independent Film Awards.
image: Wikimedia Commons
