New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) issued a statement Wednesday following the death of actor James Gandolfini, calling the news “an awful shock.”
Gandolfini was a New Jersey native and the star of HBO’s iconic series “The Sopranos,” which was also set in the Garden State.
“It’s an awful shock. James Gandolfini was a fine actor, a Rutgers alum and a true Jersey guy,” Christie said in the statement. “I was a huge fan of his and the character he played so authentically, Tony Soprano. I have gotten to know Jimmy and many of the other actors in the Sopranos cast and I can say that each of them are an individual New Jersey treasure. Mary Pat and I express our deepest sympathies to Mr. Gandolfini’s wife and children, and our prayers are with them at this terrible time.”
