Death of Sopranos Patriarch James Gandolfini, 51, Stuns TV Industry

James Gandolfini, the man who brought to life the most iconic mob boss since " The Godfather," passed away suddenly yesterday while on vacation in Rome, Italy. Gandolfini was only 51.

The nuance, depth and intensity he brought to Tony Soprano not only won him a slew of awards, but contributed to making HBO a wildly successful network, despite the fact that it's a premium cable channel (meaning viewers pay for subscriptions). In April 2001, Newsweek did a cover story on the show titled "Why the Sopranos Has the Rest of TV Running For Its Life." Towards the end of the series, Gandolfini putting away $1 million per episode, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders, the actor's managers, made this announcement: "It is with immense sorrow that we report our client James Gandolfini passed away today while on holiday in Rome, Italy. Our hearts are shattered and we will miss him deeply."

Not only will millions of fans be heartbroken, but projects he was working on before his unexpected passing will be left with huge shoes to fill. He was due to star in a new HBO series, "Criminal Justice," among other projects.

Gandolfini will be remembered for his commanding performances not only in "The Sopranos," but Tarantino's "True Romance," "The Mexican," "Zero Dark Thirty" and even "Where the Wild Things Are."